Northbound (2)
“Hmph. Asking questions again, I see.”
Mingu flicked his lighter shut with a sharp click after confirming the cigarette had caught.
“Worry about your own damn self.”
“That thing… wait a minute… were you one of our employees?”
The Witch narrowed her eyes at both the lighter and Mingu as she took a long drag. Mingu frowned and glanced over at Yubin.
“What the hell is an ‘imploi’?”
“I think she’s asking if you used to be one of their staff.”
Yubin answered. He wasn’t sure how he’d ended up as the person with the best English in the group, but right now they needed a translator if they were going to communicate with this woman at all. After hearing Yubin’s explanation, Mingu let out a derisive snort.
“Do I look like one of your employees?”
“Then what the hell are you? That Zippo… that’s a keepsake that was only issued to Shadow Shield team leaders and above.”
The Witch looked genuinely confused. She had been the one who selected that exact emblem out of dozens of design options, so there was no way she could be mistaken. It was a custom-engraved item; it had never been sold to the general public.
“So only the big shots got them. No wonder it looked pretty high-end…”
Mingu spun the Zippo once across his fingertips before addressing the Witch again.
“This is basically like a deer antler hanging on a hunter’s wall. That clear enough for you?”
“Damn!”
The Witch narrowed her eyes and muttered a quiet curse. The moment she heard “deer antler,” she instantly understood exactly what Mingu was implying.
“You… you were the Jack the Ripper of Yongsan…”
The image of Major’s horrific corpse from the photographs flashed through her mind, and the Witch let out an involuntary sigh. The body of Major, discovered inside Taeyang Group’s Yongsan headquarters, had been butchered so savagely that words failed to describe it.
The medical examiner who performed the autopsy had concluded that the victim had been sliced open while still alive, meaning he had endured unimaginable pain and terror. He added that such precision required both exceptional skill with a blade and a truly sadistic nature. Just like Jack the Ripper.
“Jack what?”
Mingu’s face twisted slightly because he hadn’t caught the reference. The Witch quickly shook her head.
“Nothing. Never mind.”
She had always wondered why a Major—one of the elite within Shadow Shield—had met such a helpless and brutal end. Now she finally understood. If this man, the one who danced with blades among the zombies, was the culprit, then every question was answered.
Yes. This bastard had skinned Major alive, killed him, then stolen his lighter.
The Witch exhaled a stream of cigarette smoke, avoiding Mingu’s gaze.
“Hoo… ugh…!”
She tried to appear calm, but the hand holding the cigarette and her jaw kept twitching with tiny spasms.
Damn it! Bullshit!
Only now did the Witch truly feel the weight of her own helplessness. She bit her lip. Of all the people to get tangled up with, it had to be the Jack the Ripper of Yongsan—this psychotic murderer… Dying was terrifying enough, but being slaughtered as horrifically as Major had been was far worse. She had always believed she was a ruler who would never have to feel this kind of fear…
“Wait… hold on a second…”
The Witch, who had been gripped by terror, suddenly lit up again and asked,
“Seeing as you’re still carrying around something from the Yongsan headquarters, that means you people really did take Terra, right? Correct? Lies won’t work anymore!”
What is wrong with this woman?
Yubin stared at her face in utter disbelief. To think she would openly blurt out a clue she had supposedly discovered from Mingu’s lighter… It made no sense by any standard he knew.
She was a hostage. The more secrets a hostage knew about their captors, the lower their chances of survival. Common sense dictated that if she realized something, she should keep her mouth shut and pretend ignorance. Yet this woman was actively showing off and running her mouth. This wasn’t the behavior of anyone with half a brain.
She used to be the president of a major corporation. There’s no way she’s this stupid… So is this some kind of high-level psychological warfare? Or did she suffer such a massive shock that she’s temporarily lost it…?
While Yubin was pondering this, the Witch suddenly wrapped her arms around herself and began to shiver violently.
“It’s cold…”
Yubin normally had no desire to indulge her pace, but he could at least understand the complaint about the cold. For one thing, a female military officer’s uniform was woefully inadequate against the November wind. On top of that, she had suffered massive shock and blood loss, and the sweat that had soaked her during her rest had now turned ice-cold. It was no wonder she felt chilled.
Whoooosh—! Whiiiirrr—!
Another powerful gust blew in from the Han River side, sweeping down the long, open track. With more than half her skirt and stockings torn away, the Witch was practically standing in the wind completely exposed.
“You’re probably shivering from shock. Here, put this on.”
Yubin pulled a lightweight puffer jacket from his backpack and handed it to her. He didn’t feel any particular sympathy, but they needed to keep her alive if they were going to use her as a hostage.
“Hoo… hoo…!”
Even after she hurriedly put on the jacket and zipped it all the way up, she continued to tremble.
“Drink some more of the electrolyte drink. And put the cigarette butt inside the empty bottle. Don’t just throw it anywhere.”
Yubin handed her a fresh bottle of ion drink. To avoid collapsing from exhaustion at a time like this, she needed to replenish fluids and sugar.
“Ugh…!”
The Witch took another sip of the electrolyte drink, then gagged and shook her head.
“I can’t drink any more. That terrible image keeps flashing in my head… especially with this color… ugh!”
She shoved the red bottle away as if she couldn’t stand the sight of it and took another drag from her cigarette. The sheer audacity was unbelievable. Yubin couldn’t tell whether she genuinely didn’t understand her current situation or not, but now she was even throwing a tantrum about the color of a drink. He decided not to push it any further.
“Anyway, it’s your drink, so either put it in your pocket or carry it. You’ll be desperate for it later when you get thirsty.”
“Change it to a different color… Just give me pure water, or that one over there.”
The Witch pointed at a new Pocari Sweat PET bottle. Sheriff, who had been talking with Jinwoo, saw where her finger was pointing and made a dumbfounded face.
“Then what about the one you were already drinking?”
“…Throw it away. We can just get a new one. There’ll be vending machines at the next train station, right?”
The Witch glanced nervously at Mingu but ultimately revealed her true thoughts. Sheriff let out a bitter laugh and shook his head.
“This damn woman doesn’t know the first thing about survival. She’s not even a kid, how can a grown-ass adult act like this…”
Despite his words, Sheriff soon stood up and placed the Pocari Sweat in front of the Witch.
“There. Happy now? I gave you one, so save that red one for tomorrow.”
Having resolved the Witch’s tantrum in an instant, Sheriff returned to Jinwoo’s side and picked up their previous conversation.
“So what you’re saying is those helicopter bastards are definitely coming back?”
Jinwoo, who was replenishing fresh magazines in his tactical vest, nodded with his usual serious expression.
“They were that aggressive about trying to kill us. They’ll have no choice but to come back to confirm the bodies. Probably this evening, or at latest tomorrow. They’ll bring enough troops to conduct a proper search.”
“I’d be grateful if they’d just assume we’re all dead.”
Yubin muttered, rubbing a hand down his face. Being hunted by helicopters was a truly nightmarish experience. He had thought that once was enough after barely surviving that overwhelming speed and firepower last summer… but things had suddenly gone horribly wrong.
“But if we really had been bitten and turned into zombies, how would they even find our bodies? We’d be wandering around with the rest of the horde by then.”
When Sheriff asked the sharp question, Jinwoo stroked Samsuk-i’s back and answered.
“The people giving the orders don’t care about that. They just say… go find them, bring back the bodies. That’s it. They have to at least pretend they’re doing something.”
“Then… maybe settling down at Konkuk University isn’t such a good idea? Should we head further north?”
Yubin, who had been meticulously stuffing empty bottles and trash into a plastic bag, fell into thought. The distance from Konkuk University Station to Ttukseom was only one subway stop. Once the helicopter took off to begin its search, the area would be well within visible range. He hadn’t measured it, but it was probably close enough for gunfire to reach as well.
“Besides, it doesn’t look like we’d be able to find much food around Konkuk University… I think it’s safe to assume the shelter soldiers already cleaned out all the shops in the area.”
Jinwoo offered his opinion. Yubin immediately agreed.
“Ah… yeah, that makes sense.”
While the Konkuk University shelter was operational, if the soldiers had gone out to gather additional supplies, they would have searched outward from the shelter first. That meant the surrounding area had likely been stripped almost completely bare of food and other resources.
“Just listening to this noise tells me this place is a no-go.”
Mingu said as he dropped his cigarette butt into an empty can. The “noise” he referred to was the low, guttural growling of zombies beneath the elevated track. They had caught the scent of cigarette smoke and were getting excited. Given how frequently and loudly they were moaning, there had to be at least several hundred of them.
“Let’s head two or three stations further north.”
Having made up his mind, Yubin suggested it to the group. The area was familiar since they had stayed there before, which was a plus, but Konkuk University Station was too close to the Han River and had too many complications.
“Fine by me. Then let’s head to that Gunja Station building where those bad soldier bastards were hiding. There’s some food stored there too.”
Sheriff agreed without much hesitation. It was only about three kilometers through the dark tunnel. No big deal.
“There are bullets and guns too. Inside the wall closet of the sixth-floor office…”
When Yubin added the detailed information, Sheriff’s eyes widened.
“There are guns? Where’d they come from?”
“They belonged to that dead officer.”
Jinwoo answered for Yubin. After saving the Konkuk University shelter from crisis, Yubin had secretly stashed half the ammunition and Lieutenant Park’s pistol in that building—like a squirrel storing acorns. Just in case… And now that “just in case” had arrived.
“But who the hell is trying to kill that woman? If it was just the black-uniform guys, I’d say they’re fighting among themselves, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. It looked pretty serious with regular soldiers involved too.”
Sheriff asked, pointing at the Witch. Perhaps that was the most important question at this moment. Depending on who their enemy was, their response and strategy would have to change accordingly.
“Well…”
Yubin let out a small sigh. He wanted to ask the Witch that very question, but right now she wasn’t in any condition to think clearly. She had been disinfecting her wounds, then started smoking, then asked random questions… By anyone’s judgment, she was half out of her mind.
“We’ll ask her later. She seems to have gone a bit strange from the shock.”
Yubin said. He knew from personal experience just how much a person’s reason could shut down after witnessing a scene of extreme blood and slaughter for the first time. And… even if she did know the answer, it didn’t seem like this woman would willingly tell the truth. She was the type of person who seemed fundamentally incapable of honesty.
“Is she even valuable as a hostage?”
Jinwoo raised a more fundamental question.
“…Huh?”
The Witch, who had been nervously puffing on her cigarette, flinched and looked around at everyone. Jinwoo continued regardless.
“The fact that they demanded the serum means she knows internal information. If… the order to kill her came from Chairman Hwang himself, then keeping her around won’t do us any good no matter how long we hold onto her.”
“Why would he kill his own daughter?”
Sheriff frowned as if it was nonsense. But Jinwoo wasn’t joking.
“Who knows. Maybe he’s trying to pin everything that happened in Seoul on her…”
“No no no no no! It doesn’t make sense! That’s not true! My father still loves me!”
The Witch jumped in urgently, waving her index finger and raising her voice with visible veins in her neck.
“This is a crime committed by the middle bosses! I’m sure of it! If you tell Father, he’ll do anything you ask to rescue me! Trust me!”
Back at the floating café she had claimed she had no value as a hostage, and now she was changing her tune again. The woman’s mouth was apparently well-oiled with lies.
“Enough. We’re not throwing you away, so stop screaming.”
Yubin silenced the Witch and stood up. They could take their time with long conversations like that once they had secured a place to stay and some food. Although he had said the Witch was in shock, the truth was that they themselves were also extremely agitated right now.
They had thought that once today’s negotiation was over, they would be able to spend a comfortable winter. That hope had been completely shattered, and they had barely survived death multiple times. And the threat was still very much present. If their hearts weren’t pounding with excitement, disappointment, and fear, that would be even stranger.
Therefore, they had to think and act calmly. So they wouldn’t make any mistakes.
“Haa…! Haa…!”
The Witch, still unable to calm her anxiety, sat back down and began sticking two or three bandages on each wound on her feet.
“Once you’re done with the bandages, put these on too.”
Yubin took spare Kevlar gloves and a mask from his backpack and handed them to her. He had no desire to see a woman who was already dramatic enough accidentally touch something in the pitch-black subway tunnel, start bleeding everywhere, and scream. The situation was far too urgent to waste time on such trivial matters.
“Kevlar? We’re also developing zombie protection suits with this material. There should be a first shipment in December.”
The Witch chattered on while putting on the gloves, offering information no one had asked for. Yubin ignored her and turned to his companions.
“Firing guns is still risky, so until we reach the station after Konkuk University, Mingu hyung and Sheriff will take the lead. Both of you turn on your headlamps. I’ll provide support. Jinwoo, stay ready for emergencies.”
“Doesn’t seem like there are any monsters around here.”
Mingu put on his headlamp as instructed but spoke in a tone that suggested they didn’t need to worry for the time being. The fact that the two of them had been smoking for this long and the zombies’ cries were still only coming from far away meant the interior of this section of track was relatively safe. At least for the next hundred or two hundred meters…
“We’re leaving right now? Right now? I… I think I need to rest more before my condition improves…”
The Witch started whining again. Since she clearly wasn’t the type to listen to gentle persuasion, Yubin simply handed her the plastic bag containing the remaining drinks and trash.
“Just follow quietly. There isn’t a single person here who’s less tired than you.”
“Why are you acting like this? It’s not reasonable! Look outside! It’s still bright. There’s no reason to rush!”
The Witch raised her voice, pointing toward the transparent plastic outer wall. How could someone be so different from Jenny? And she was much older, too… Yubin let out a sigh. If he weren’t considering her potential usefulness, he would have been tempted to just leave her here to become zombie food.
“It’s already past ten-thirty.”
Yubin suppressed his irritation and pointed at his watch as he spoke.
“And after four-thirty, the sun will start to set. There are thousands of zombies wandering around outside, and by six o’clock it will be completely dark. We might have to dodge helicopters in the meantime. Do you understand what that means?”