Shootout (4)
“Five minutes……”
Jinwoo echoed Yubin’s words, then confirmed the intel.
“Those zombies are definitely coming from the east, right?”
“Yeah. From the fountain plaza.”
Yubin nodded, still running calculations in his head. If the Witch was right and there were only five helicopters total, the enemy’s remaining ground force was down to a mere dozen or so men.
The negotiation team that had arrived with the Witch, the black-uniformed soldiers who had executed them, and the squad Jinwoo had wiped out—those alone accounted for the capacity of roughly three helicopters. Of course, more birds could have followed with reinforcements, but he doubted it. The enemy had believed their firepower gave them overwhelming superiority; they wouldn’t have felt the need for extra insurance. And in Yubin’s experience, most soldiers weren’t that meticulous anyway.
“So where are the other helicopters?”
Yubin cast a worried glance toward the south bank of the Han River. The thought of three more birds sitting somewhere down there, conserving fuel while they waited, sent a chill down his spine. The longer this standoff dragged on, the more stress their side would have to endure.
“Stress…… Fine. Let’s give them some stress of our own. Smoke grenades!”
An idea sparked from his own rising tension. Yubin opened his pack and pulled out two red smoke grenades.
“Kinda funny. These are supposed to signal that everything’s safe……”
He tore open the paper casings, set down the cooler and backpack, and prepared to move. The Sheriff grabbed his shoulder.
“Where exactly are you planning to pop those?”
“One on each subway stairwell.”
“Why there? You trying to hide and make a run for it? Trusting luck like that is a good way to get your ass shot off!”
The Sheriff double-checked, clearly surprised. Yubin gave a thin smile.
“I’d love it if they thought the same thing.”
“Ah, a fake-out? Like throwing a body shot but aiming for the chin?”
Once he understood, the Sheriff nodded. When it came to fights, this guy always caught on faster.
“After that, we head inside. Get your masks ready.”
Yubin pointed to the dark, tunnel-like entrance of the underpass that connected to the north end of Cheongdam Bridge—the same pedestrian entrance that had vomited zombies three days ago. Hundreds of zombie corpses were now stacked neatly against one wall.
If red smoke billowed up from the external subway stairs connected to the Jabeolle building and blocked their line of sight, the men in the helicopters would naturally fixate on it. That would leave the underpass leading toward Jayang-dong lightly guarded.
Unlike the open external stairs or the station itself, the underpass was extremely difficult to snipe from a helicopter. Thick concrete covered every side except front and back, and the bridge and surrounding buildings made close approaches risky.
Another advantage: the enemy still wanted the serum. If their only goal had been total annihilation, they would have already lobbed dozens of grenades. That small weakness could become a massive lever.
Arf-!
Samsik-i, standing guard beside Jinwoo, let out a low bark toward the southeast—the same warning he gave when he smelled humans carrying gunpowder. Jinwoo stroked the dog’s back to calm him, then translated the message.
“Ground troops. They’re close.”
Even with bullets flying everywhere, Samsik-i had caught the scent, so they were probably within five hundred meters—maybe already past the floating café.
“……Right?”
Yubin pulled a pack of cigarettes and a Zippo from his backpack and set them on the ground.
“You take that side, hyung-nim. Sheriff and the woman go with you.”
Jinwoo split their forces into two groups. Five people and one dog could hide behind this thick pillar without issue, but once the approaching ground troops added their fire from both flanks, the situation would change.
“They’ll probably open fire first from over there.”
Jinwoo pointed toward the fence on the east side, near the swimming pool. The classic pincer: use the pool structure for cover to draw attention, then send troops across the promenade to hit from behind. Effective, but it wouldn’t fool a Delta veteran who trained with Jinwoo every day.
“From the air they can see the zombie horde coming plain as day, yet they’re still letting their men advance. They should be ordering a retreat……”
Yubin, waiting behind the bicycle rental stand, clicked his tongue in disbelief. Less than four minutes remained before the zombies reached the fountain. That meant the infantry below had no escape route.
“The ROK military……”
Jinwoo slipped his finger into the trigger guard of his K2.
“doesn’t value its soldiers that much.”
Tatatatatatatat! Tatatatatatatat!
Just as predicted, two bursts of supporting fire came from the sky, followed immediately by gunfire from the east.
Tututututudu! Tututututuduk! Tututututu! Papapabababak!
The dry ivy clinging to the bridge pillars shredded and scattered into the air. Paving stones cracked. Windshields on abandoned cars in the parking lot shattered one after another.
“Dammit! Dammit! We’re gonna die! I can’t see Hope! Holy shit!”
The Witch screamed hysterically. The Sheriff pressed her head down to keep her from bolting.
“……Four of them. The east side is just a distraction.”
Jinwoo, pressed tight against the pillar while gauging the enemy’s firepower, nodded. He could suppress that many alone while still supporting Yubin.
“Don’t move yet, Yubin! I’ll signal when it’s time!”
Jinwoo gestured toward Yubin hidden behind the rental stand, then opened fire in response.
Tang! Tatang! Tatatatang! Tang! Tadang!
Just hearing Jinwoo’s shots eased some of the tension in Yubin’s chest. He let out a small sigh of relief. If the enemy was spraying wildly, their side had the most accurate shooter in army history. At least, Yubin was certain of it. He’d trust that one remaining arm with his life.
Piping! Ping! Pipiping!
Cement chips flew from the pool structures where the enemy was hiding. Their shooters, now spotted, kept their heads down and blindly returned fire with muzzles raised. Compared to the helicopters’ indiscriminate strafing, it barely registered as a threat.
Whoongwhoongwhoongwhoongwhoong!
A helicopter passed overhead, hidden by the bridge. They were planning something else.
“……Two minutes left.”
Yubin checked his watch and held up two fingers. Jinwoo nodded.
“Now……”
Jinwoo answered with covering fire.
Tatatang! Tatatatatata! Tatatang! Tatang! Tatatata!
While the echoing gunfire beneath the bridge threatened to burst their eardrums, Yubin stayed low and sprinted toward the right subway stairwell.
Whooooosh!
The river wind cooled the cold sweat on the back of his neck. The headwind rushing through the narrow underpass only helped. Perfect conditions for spreading the smoke fast.
Pong!
Yubin yanked the safety pin and hurled the grenade hard toward the top of the external stairs.
Thud! Todong! Thud!
The grenade bounced off the wall twice before tumbling down the steps, spewing red smoke mixed with gas.
Pssst! Pshshshst! Pshhhhhht!
Wind from both directions whipped the smoke upward. Within seconds, thick red clouds completely covered the stairwell. Yubin finished the right side and quickly moved to the left, tossing the second grenade.
Whoosh!
The left stairwell vanished behind another billowing red wall.
Whoongwhoongwhoongwhoongwhoong! Tutututututut! Tatatatata!
Startled by the rising smoke, the helicopters banked sharply and poured fire into the obscured stairs.
Whoongwhoongwhoongwhoongwhoong!
Another bird swung toward the right stairwell. With both exits now hidden, they had no choice but to split their fire. The crossing leading to the underpass lay completely exposed.
Pipiping! Piping!
Plastic fragments kicked up by bullets. Yubin smiled in satisfaction and turned to run.
‘Nice! Hit them hard!’
Finally, they’d landed a real blow on those arrogant bastards who had relied on helicopters and numbers.
“Go!”
Before Yubin could even give the signal, the Sheriff bellowed like a cannon and charged toward the unguarded underpass, dragging the Witch with him. Mingu shifted his shield to his right hand and matched their pace, leading the way. Both fighters knew exactly when a feint had worked and when an opening appeared. Their coordination was seamless.
“Jinwoo, let’s move……!”
Yubin was slinging the cooler strap back over his shoulder when something launched from the western promenade with a thunk!
Pshshshshsh!
A tear-gas canister fired from a grenade launcher landed beneath the bridge, releasing a massive cloud of acrid smoke. Yubin finally understood their plan. They had intended to flush them out with the gas, then pick them off or capture them from the air. The smoke-grenade feint had ruined that.
Whoosh!
The stinging gas, carried on the wind, burned his eyes and nose even through the mask. Yubin narrowed his eyes and shouted.
“Don’t breathe—run, Jinwoo!”
He flicked the Zippo and lit the pack of cigarettes. If the enemy wanted to use tear gas, they could answer with tobacco smoke. This smoke would create a far more devastating effect.
Tatatang! Tatatatata! Tatatang! Tatang! Tatatatatata!
Jinwoo reloaded, unleashed two brutal suppressing bursts toward east and west, then sprinted for the underpass. While hidden inside the tear-gas cloud, the enemy couldn’t aim properly anyway.
“Take that!”
Yubin hurled the burning cigarette pack into the gas cloud and turned to run.
Tututututut! Tututututu!
Overhead, the helicopters kept circling relentlessly, hammering the red-smoke-covered stairwells as if warning them not to even think about escaping that way.
Taktaktaktaktak!
While Yubin sprinted across the crossing, Jinwoo took cover at the underpass entrance and laid down covering fire.
Tang! Tatang! Tang! Tatatatata! Tata!
Mingu stood beside him, shield braced, as Jinwoo alternated between left and right.
“I’m in!”
Yubin dove into the shadows of the underpass and shouted. The three of them pressed flat against the wall, scanning outside. Samsik-i stood calmly beside Jinwoo. Gunfire, smoke, gunpowder, and tear gas filled the air, yet the dog remained steady and loyal at his master’s side.
“Hrk!”
Inside the underpass, the Witch—her eyes now adjusted to the red smoke and darkness—let out a horrified gasp at the mountain of stacked zombie corpses. Seeing them through the blood-tinged haze made her terror understandable, but there was no time for panic.
“Shut up! You’ll give us away, you little bitch!”
The Sheriff clamped a hand over her mouth and roughly dragged her behind the corpse pile.
Tututututut! Tututututu!
Urgent gunfire erupted from the east, mixed with screams.
“Aaaagh! Aaaah!”
It had arrived. Three thousand zombies had found their prey.
“……Yeah. This is hell.”
Yubin, leaning against the entrance wall, muttered to himself.
Whoongwhoongwhoongwhoong! Tutututututut! Tututututut!
At least one helicopter still had a shred of conscience; it swung toward the swimming pool and began providing support fire for the ground troops. But Yubin knew that tactic wouldn’t stop a horde this size.
Three hundred zombies might be manageable, but they faced over three thousand. Even if they had the skill and ammo, by the time they finished, another four thousand would be approaching from the west. The infantry that had come by land was already as good as wiped out.
“Alright, let’s go deeper and hide.”
Yubin led Jinwoo and Mingu behind the stacked corpses. Even he hadn’t expected these hundreds of bodies to become both cover and potential bullet-stoppers.
Rumble!
Jinwoo toppled one tall corpse pile to create cover, then lay prone and pointed behind them.
“You watch that side, Yubin. Tell me if anything comes in.”
“Ugh! Urk!”
The Witch, seated among the corpses, trembled violently and kept gagging. All around her were horribly mutilated zombie bodies—heads severed, stomachs burst, skulls crushed. The stench was overwhelming. Even Yubin felt his skin crawl.
“Endure it. Think about something else.”
Yubin handed her a spare mask from his pack. The Witch’s hands shook as she tore open the packaging, voice cracking.
“It touched my skin…… It’s still touching my leg! A dead body! Aaaah! Urgh!”
“People hauled these corpses here and stacked them. Stop whining! It’s better than dying!”
The Sheriff raised an eyebrow and scolded her.
“Eeeek! Eeeek!”
The Witch squeezed her eyes shut and pressed even closer to the Sheriff, desperate to avoid contact with the bodies.
Tututututut! Tututututu! Aaaagh! Tututututu! Groaaaar!
Outside, gunfire, screams, and zombie roars continued to echo. The loudest sound of all was the steady thrum of helicopter rotors.
“Hnnn…… What do we do now? How are we supposed to escape from here?”
The Witch asked through tears.
“Wait.”
Jinwoo, lying atop the corpses with his rifle aimed at the entrance, answered.
“Don’t make a sound. Just wait quietly.”