120 Kilometers (7)
Aaaah!
Startled out of his wits, Yubin screamed as he tumbled onto the pier.
Graaaah—!
The zombie’s iron grip dragged him toward the water. Its filthy nails tore into his pants, sending raw pain slicing through the flesh of his calf.
“Let go, you bastard!”
Yubin kicked wildly, not caring whether he struck the creature’s hand or his own leg. If it pulled him in—or even dragged him an inch closer to those snapping jaws—it was over.
Thud! Thud!
Six savage kicks from the hard sole of his safety boot. Finally the zombie’s thumb joint snapped with a wet crack, and Yubin tore himself free.
Graaak—!
The creature that had lost its prize flailed its arms and roared in fury. River water crashed against the pier’s edge and poured into its gaping mouth, but the thing didn’t seem to notice. All it wanted was Yubin’s flesh and that burning cigarette.
Splash! Splash!
Right beside it, more zombies thrust their heads above the surface and thrashed wildly. While Yubin had focused on luring the two thousand on land, these monsters had been closing the distance underwater the entire time.
Squeeeak—!
As the submerged zombies churned the river into foam, the unmoored duck boat drifted slowly away from the pier on the current.
“No! Don’t you dare!”
Yubin’s face drained of color. He lunged, grabbing the rear support pole of the boat before it could float away. Losing it now meant being torn apart by hundreds of zombies on the pier—or diving into the November Han River where corpses already bobbed like buoys.
Thump—!
He yanked the boat back and was about to scramble inside when one of the waterlogged zombies seized a discarded tire at the pier’s edge and began hauling itself up. Yubin recoiled in horror and stomped its hand.
Splash—!
The creature with shattered fingers slid back down, spraying water in every direction.
Grooooaaar—!
Zombies had already reached the pontoon bridge behind him. Their roars and thunderous footsteps left no room for hesitation.
“Damn it!”
Yubin dropped into the front seat, cranked the tiller hard left, and began pedaling for his life.
Squeak—! Squeak—! Splash—!
Despite his desperation, the duck boat responded with a pathetic groan and inched forward at a snail’s pace. Worse, zombies clung to every side of the vessel.
Crack—!
He could kick away the ones on the right seat the moment their hands appeared, but the other three directions were hopeless. One monster had even wrapped its arm around the duck-shaped prow and refused to let go.
Splash—! Spin…! Splash…!
The single-rider pedal boat couldn’t overcome the combined weight and pulling force. It simply spun in place. No matter how hard he pedaled, he wouldn’t clear even three meters from the pier.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump—!
The sound of zombies leaping onto the pier made his heart seize. He still hadn’t gained enough distance…!
Yubin unzipped the front pocket of his backpack while glancing behind him. Beyond the fiercely burning cigarette, a writhing mass of rotting faces swarmed only meters from the boat. And they were closing in faster and faster.
This was exactly the scenario he had planned, yet witnessing it in person made his blood freeze solid. If even a handful of the hundred-plus zombies now gathered decided to charge him, it would be the end. Unlike Sheriff, Jinwoo, or Mingu, Yubin couldn’t handle five or six at once.
“Ugh…! This is insane… Fuck. I’m losing it, for real.”
He kept kicking whenever he could, trying to dislodge them, but the creatures stuck like glue. Gritting his teeth, Yubin tore open the Velcro with shaking fingers and pulled out the Glock and spare magazines. The situation had been too urgent to bring anything else.
Squeak—! Squeak—!
Even now his legs kept pedaling in frantic circles while the zombies clinging to the boat thrashed with milky, rotten eyes, desperate to climb aboard.
Graaah—! Graaah—!
Their cries sounded like they were broadcasting his location to every comrade nearby. The thought sent a spike of pure irritation through him.
“Shut the hell up, you bastards!”
Yubin hissed through clenched teeth. Naturally, the scolding had no effect.
Splash!
One zombie shoved its upper body into the rear of the spinning boat. The instant its cold spray hit his face, Yubin made his choice.
Bang—! Bang, bang—!
He twisted and pulled the trigger. The Glock roared, muzzle flashing.
Thud—! Thudud—!
The creature hanging off the port rear slid into the water with fresh holes punched through its face and skull. He’d fired three rounds; he had no idea where the fourth went. There was no time to worry about it.
Bang, bang, bang—! Bang, bang—!
Yubin kept firing as he pivoted left and right. Just as Jinwoo had taught him, he gripped the weapon with both hands and put at least two bullets into every target. Better to finish them quickly and surely than waste precious seconds trying to be perfect.
Thud! Thwack! Crunch—!
Zombies with small black holes in foreheads, scalps, or eye sockets were sucked under one after another.
Splash—!
Only after all six clinging monsters had been shaken loose did the duck boat finally begin to pick up speed.
Whoosh—! Clunk—!
As it sliced through the current, the creature hanging from the front prow lost its grip and was swept beneath the hull.
“Haaah…! Haaah…!”
Yubin gasped for air, still pedaling hard, and risked another glance behind him. Then—
Graaaaaah—!
Zombies leaping from the motorboat dock filled his vision with gaping, blackened maws.
Boom—! Boom—!
Heavy impacts slammed against the roof. The tiny duck boat pitched violently, as if caught in a typhoon. Yubin couldn’t keep his balance; he lurched forward and smashed his face into the console.
Crack—!
Stars exploded across his vision. The metallic stench of blood flooded his nose. The sharp, intense pain was one he hadn’t felt in a long while.
“Ugh!”
Yubin clutched his face with his prosthetic hand and screamed. Yet even through the impact he never released the Glock, fingers locked around it. His trigger discipline—finger outside the guard—prevented an accidental discharge. Another brutal lesson from Jinwoo that had just paid off.
Thud—! Boom—!
More zombies kept landing on the roof. Water sprayed wildly in every direction. In the split second before they fell, several managed to seize the boat’s support poles.
“Let go, you bastard!”
Yubin pressed the muzzle directly against their faces and fired without hesitation.
Bang—! Bang—!
At point-blank range the bullets obliterated brain matter. Green gore splattered across Yubin’s pants and the boat’s interior. He didn’t care. He kept pedaling with everything he had, methodically putting rounds through every clinging skull.
Click—!
The slide locked back after the fifteenth round. Yubin swapped the magazine with his blood-smeared prosthetic. In the brief moment the simple action took, five or six more zombies latched onto the starboard rear.
Splash—! Shaaaa—!
The sudden shift in weight tilted the boat sharply, lifting the port side out of the water. The far more serious problem was the river pouring in through the shallow opening.
“Ah!”
Yubin scrambled to the left seat in panic. Shifting his own weight barely made a difference.
Glug—! Glug—!
Water kept flooding in. The sound chilled him to the bone. If he didn’t shake these zombies off in the next few seconds, the boat would sink—and every hope along with it.
“Hoo!”
He steadied his breathing, clenched his teeth to stop the muzzle from shaking, and extended his arm toward the nearest heads. The distance was barely one and a half meters. Yet the constant waves slapping the hull and the thrashing bodies made precise aiming difficult. He wished he’d brought the MP5, but there simply hadn’t been time.
No. No… You have time. Don’t panic. Just squeeze. It’s fine. Be decisive…
Yubin braced his right hand firmly with the prosthetic and steadied his nerves. He aimed at the leftmost creature still struggling to climb aboard and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang!
He didn’t bother conserving ammunition. His marksmanship wasn’t good enough to drop them with single perfect shots like Jinwoo, and the situation was far too desperate.
Bang—! Bang, bang! Bang—! Thud—! Thwack—!
After exhausting another fifteen rounds, reloading, and firing five more, Yubin finally cleared all six zombies from the boat.
Grooooaaar—!
From the riverbank promenade came the distant roar of the long column of zombies still enthralled by the cigarette smoke. He couldn’t return to the floating café yet; the risk that they might follow was too great.
“Haa…! Haa…!”
Having survived the immediate crisis, Yubin pedaled toward the center of the river, casting anxious glances behind him every few seconds. His nosebleed made breathing difficult, but he refused to stop. With no more ammunition to deal with boarders, the only option was to put as much distance as possible between himself and the horde.
“Ah… seriously…”
Once he reached a relatively safe stretch of water, Yubin finally leaned back against the seat and wiped his face.
Swish—!
The nosebleed that refused to quit stained the gloved prosthetic.
“Every time I come to Jabeolle… I end up bleeding… Hoo…! Hoo…! Guess this place really doesn’t like me.”
Yubin gently prodded his swollen nose bridge. It hurt like hell. Probably not broken, but the pain was vicious. Still, compared to the burning agony in his overworked thighs, the nose was almost tolerable.
“Ungh…!”
A groan slipped between his lips as he massaged his aching legs. He had thought himself reasonably fit after consistent exercise on Big Island, yet today’s duck-boat mission felt brutally punishing. The nosebleed only made breathing harder.
While he sat with his mouth open, savoring a few precious seconds of rest, Jinwoo’s voice crackled through the earpiece receiver.
Thank God.
The moment he heard his friend’s voice, relief flooded through him. It was only a short question, yet he could tell immediately—the three of them were safe. Yubin wiped the fresh blood from his nose, pressed the transmit button, and answered.
“Yeah… I’m okay. I’m floating in the middle of the river on the boat right now. You guys all right?”
“Good. I’m glad.”
Yubin turned his head toward the subway station. He couldn’t see clearly from here, but he knew Jinwoo was behind one of those dark windows. Safe, at least for now.
“There are so many zombies gathered right now that it’ll probably be difficult for you to head this way anytime soon.”
Yubin shifted his gaze toward Jabeolle Square, watching the writhing sea of corpses. A teddy-bear balloon drifted lazily through the hazy smoke.
That meant the slick-haired ones had already joined the cigarette festival. It also meant any other zombie groups passing through the area would pause, drawn by the scent, and merge with the 120-kilometer horde.
“Heh…”
A smile broke across Yubin’s worried face. The last ten minutes had been pure hell—he’d nearly shit blood from the stress—but the result was a massive, unplanned traffic jam of the undead. With any luck, the twenty-five hundred yellow-balloon zombies would join them too. The cigarette odor still hung thick in the air. The only downside was that the chaos made it difficult for his friends to return from the subway.
“You guys still have ammo left?”
Composed once more, Yubin pressed the transmit button.
That was more than enough as long as they avoided being surrounded by a truly massive swarm. Their standard backpacks would still contain a day’s worth of food. Decision made, Yubin wiped another trickle of blood from his nose and spoke.
“Then pick a tall building and hole up there for now. I’ll keep watch from here and contact you once things calm down a little.”