Tri-Border (6)
Hong-hong-hong-hong-hong-! Shwaaaaeeek-!
Jinwoo felt the sound of the rotor blades slicing through the air growing louder and louder. Startled, he grabbed Sheriff and hauled him to his feet.
“Hey! Get down! Get down! We can’t stay here!”
He also gestured for Samsuk-i to follow.
“Samsuk, let’s go!”
The helicopter still wasn’t visible to the naked eye, but once it was, it would already be too late to hide. They would spot them too. The Han River was only about seven kilometers away—dangerously close.
Seven kilometers…
On foot, that distance was vast enough to guarantee being swarmed by zombies, but to a Black Hawk cruising at 280 kilometers per hour, it was nothing more than a two-minute hop. Staying out in the open like this was suicide.
“Hup!”
Once they reached the fourth-floor hallway, Sheriff swung his sledgehammer straight at the right-hand door of the two tightly sealed ones without a second’s hesitation. No deliberation about left or right—just pure decisiveness and action.
Crack-! Crack-!
After smashing the external electronic lock and striking twice more, the internal lock gave way. Sheriff turned the handle immediately.
Whoosh-!
The moment the sealed iron door opened, a foul stench that had been faintly lingering in the hallway rushed in and assaulted their noses.
“Ugh, that smell… This place is no joke either.”
Sheriff covered his nose with his forearm and scanned the interior. While almost nowhere in the zombie world was free of odor, this stench was on another level entirely. Something far worse was definitely inside.
“No sounds, so probably not zombies…”
As Jinwoo pulled his mask up, Yubin’s voice crackled through the radio clipped to his backpack strap.
-Chik! ……woo! Jinwoo! Can you…… hear me? Chik?
The tone was urgent, thick with worry. Jinwoo pressed the transmit button.
“Yeah, I hear you, Yubin. Go ahead.”
-Chiiik……! You heard the prop…… Chik! Right? You could hear it all the way over there too? Chik……!
Between Yubin’s words came the unmistakable roar of rotor blades. Since he was closer to the Han River than they were, the helicopter noise was even louder on his end. Jinwoo answered while aiming his rifle at the half-open door.
“Yeah. We heard it too. You okay?”
-Chik! Yeah, I’m fine. But…… where are you? The radio’s cutting out. Are you outside? Already at Costco? Chiiik……!
“Ah…… not quite. It’s a long story…… Remember the tracks were blocked before? Past Sagajeong Station, that overturned subway car was clogging everything up.”
-Chiiik……! Oh, right. That…… was there. You have to go over it. But why? Chik!
Yubin’s confusion came through loud and clear. Jinwoo replied quickly to ease his friend’s mind.
“We came out of Sagajeong Station. We just need to walk on the surface until the next station.”
-Chik! Huh? Outside? You went outside the station……! Weren’t there zombies all this time? Chiiik……!
“Ah…… there were quite a few, but we cleared a path with smoke grenades and stuff. Right now we’re resting in a villa right next to the station!”
A brief silence followed Jinwoo’s answer. He could almost picture Yubin on the other end, frantically trying to figure out how to handle the situation. Even though Jinwoo had used the positive word “resting,” it clearly hadn’t fooled Yubin.
Thud-!
While the static hissed in his ears, Sheriff adjusted his grip on the hammer and began searching the apartment, opening every door in search of food. Running away immediately would be ideal, but in the zombie world, you always had to consider the possibility of a long siege whenever you entered an unfamiliar place. Your odds of survival depended entirely on how much food, water, and other resources you could scavenge from a temporary shelter.
Creak-!
When he pulled open what looked like the master bedroom door, he felt slight resistance along with a soft noise. It was the sound of blue tape peeling away from the doorframe.
“What the—why’d they tape the door shut…… Whoa, shit……!”
Sheriff’s brow furrowed the instant he understood. Three decaying corpses lay inside the room—two children and one adult woman. All three had been huddled together in a corner, the windows sealed with tape. The overwhelming stench filling the apartment originated from these bodies.
“So people really do die like that……”
Sheriff muttered, glancing at the stub of mosquito coil inside a large tin can. The thick pile of ash showed they had burned every last coil they had.
“……Horrific.”
Sheriff wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Hoo……”
Jinwoo, who could see into the room via the living-room mirror, let out a deep sigh as well. He had grown somewhat used to seeing horribly mangled bodies, but encountering deaths this heartbreaking never got easier. Images of his own family and friends kept flashing through his mind, leaving his chest heavy.
-Chiiik……! So…… you guys out of smoke grenades?
After a short pause, Yubin asked again. Jinwoo, who had been coughing from the stench, quickly reassured him.
“Cough! Cough! No, we still have three packs. We grabbed them from the station store when we came out……”
-Chiiik……! Whew, if you burned that many, there must be a ton of zombies gathered nearby…… Chik…… What? Why don’t you just come back this way? Can you still make it back now? Chik……!
As expected, Yubin made the safety-first call. But Jinwoo had no intention of giving up on Terra’s blood yet.
A clean freezer that could produce ice immediately, a high-output generator and fuel, and a safe, elevated location where they could run the freezer off the generator. Costco was the only place that met all those strict conditions—at least within the range they knew.
Besides, if they were going to return on Paul’s helicopter anyway, they had to reach Costco. Securing a safe route this time would definitely be worth it.
“If it looked too far, we would’ve given up too. It’s literally just one stop. Once we walk that single subway stop, we can go back underground and move safely again. Don’t worry so much, Yubin.”
While Jinwoo was answering, Sheriff, who had gently closed the master-bedroom door again, grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled.
“Hey, hey! Out! Out! Let’s go to the next apartment. No point hiding in a place with nothing.”
“Why? How do you know there’s nothing?”
When Jinwoo asked about the sudden conclusion, Sheriff sighed as if it were obvious.
“You think they would’ve killed themselves hugging their kids if there was still food left? They must’ve held out as long as they could, then decided it was hopeless. Ah, come on, hurry up! Samsuk, you too!”
As Sheriff dragged Jinwoo into the hallway, Yubin’s voice came through the radio once more.
-Chik! Hey, one stop sounds close, but…… it’s actually really far. And…… what about when you have to come out of the next station? Hold on, Sangbong Station has an exit that leads to the external tracks, so that’s doable, but with helicopters flying around like this……
“Ah, yeah. Damn, it really is far.”
Sheriff, who had been raising his hammer to break down the neighboring door, nodded in agreement. When they had first stepped onto the zombie-infested streets, he and Yubin had spent half a day on the elevated station roof just planning. Even that had only happened because of Samsik’s advice—otherwise they never would have dared descend. And that had been less than a hundred meters to the convenience store. Now they had to risk climbing subway stairs both ways.
-Chik-! Even if everything else is fine, you’ll still have to exit another station blind on the way back. That’s what worries me…… Chik……!
“I get why you’re worried, but we still have ice left in the cooler. If it all melts, I’ll give up too. And since we’re already outside, moving around until we head back should be much easier. I’ve got an idea for getting out of the stations safely.”
-Chiiik! An idea? ……Hong-hong-hong-hong-hong-! Really? Chiiik……!
The helicopter noise grew even louder every time Yubin spoke. Concerned, Jinwoo asked,
“Yeah, really. We’ve basically cleared the hardest part already. But…… are you okay over there?”
Multiple armed helicopters were flying around less than four kilometers away. It would be strange not to feel threatened.
-Chiiik……! Ah, well…… aside from the noise, it’s the same as usual. Quiet…… Actually, I still can’t even see the helicopters. Chijik……!
“Good. Keep hiding well. And don’t worry too much—we’re safe, Yubin.”
-Chik! Wait until the helicopter noise stops, then move one block at a time. Don’t try to clear everything at once.
Yubin gave one last warning, still unable to relax. Jinwoo promised he would, then ended the transmission.
Crash-!
After Sheriff smashed open the neighboring door with a powerful swing, he glanced back and asked,
“Hey, you. That idea you told Yubin about moving safely—was that bullshit? We’re really just gonna have to grind it out the hard way, right?”
“No.”
Jinwoo shook his head seriously.
“I really thought of it the moment you opened that bedroom door earlier. We won’t have to risk our lives pulling crazy stunts like that anymore.”
＊＊＊
“……This is ridiculous.”
Cho Cheol-woong sighed as he stared at the muddy water that had risen back up to his ankles.
Glug-glug-glug-glug-!
Even as he spoke, more water continued to bubble up from the sewer. No matter how tirelessly the special forces members bailed with buckets, the situation showed no sign of improving.
Splash-! Splash-!
A tattered plastic bag swept along by the current drifted past his boots before floating away downstream. It almost seemed to mock him: “You’re really going to keep staying here?”
“Something else must be clogged somewhere. This spot’s just cursed……”
Cho Cheol-woong stepped onto the higher, still-dry slope and shook his head. This hidden base inside the light-rail station had taken enormous effort to establish, complete with restored communications. If they left it like this, the generator, ammunition, and even the electronics would all be ruined.
“Let’s go, Master Sergeant Hong. Grab the C4 and gear. Five more of you, come with me.”
Without further delay, Cho Cheol-woong picked up his personal weapon and walked out of the light-rail station. Normally they avoided moving during daylight, but this was an exceptional situation.
“Just in case you’re wondering, I definitely cleared everything that was blocked yesterday. I checked the drainage and came back.”
Master Sergeant Hong spoke firmly as he untied the rope securing the rubber boat hidden beneath the Jungnangcheon Bridge. The soldiers who had followed him nodded with wide eyes.
“That’s right. Water was flowing smoothly right up until we left!”
“I know, you idiots. You think I don’t trust you?”
Cho Cheol-woong pinched the cheek of the nearest special forces soldier—the same one who had bragged yesterday that Terra’s sandal had only touched his finger by a single joint.
“Start the motor. No need to row.”
Since it was broad daylight anyway, there was no point reducing noise by rowing. Using the motor would actually lower their exposure risk.
Weeeing-! Vroooom-!
Once the motor started, the rubber boat sped south along the swollen Jungnangcheon River.
Graaaah-!
Zombies wandering along the riverbank spotted them and charged, roaring. But the motorboat easily outpaced them, slicing through the current.
“This area never drains well. Whenever it rains hard, it floods badly, sir. It was only manageable when they had working drainage pumps and maintenance crews. Now there’s no electricity and no workers.”
Master Sergeant Hong conveyed his opinion with a shrug that clearly said, “That’s why I suggested we set up somewhere else.” Cho Cheol-woong, seated at the front of the boat, turned to him with a blank expression.
“Move?”
“Well…… given the situation, we’re going to spend every day just bailing dirty water.”
Master Sergeant Hong shrugged again. The barricades they had built around the light-rail station to keep zombies out had taken effort, but bailing water every other day was far more annoying. Since this was clearly going to be a long-term hideout, he wanted at least a place that wouldn’t flood.
Cho Cheol-woong rejected the suggestion without a moment’s hesitation.
“No. Stop talking nonsense and focus on perimeter security.”
“But sir, there’s no reason to insist on such an inconvenient location like the light-rail station……”
“I was ordered to occupy that building and wait to capture them. I can’t disobey just because the river is backing up. I have no intention of making excuses over something this trivial either. It’s a matter of the special forces’ pride.”
Cho Cheol-woong stated his reason firmly and clearly.
- Major Cho. Go catch those bastards.
Just over twenty days ago, Lieutenant General Shin had given that order while gazing contentedly at the cryogenic freezer holding the immune serum. That had been the start of everything.
- “Those bastards” meaning……?
When Cho Cheol-woong reacted with confusion, Lieutenant General Shin explained.
- I’m talking about that one-armed bastard and his crew who were smirking at me. When they try to make another deal, hit them first. Seize the blood and take them all alive. I think it would be better if I monopolized that immune blood. You can do it, right?
It was an absurd and ridiculous reason. After all, none of them were actually immune. But Cho Cheol-woong, who had only recently switched sides, was in no position to refuse. He judged that if they truly couldn’t be caught, it was more important to silently follow the order and demonstrate loyalty until Lieutenant General Shin admitted his mistake and gave up. So that very day, he had rushed here to the Taereung light-rail station with twenty special forces soldiers to secure a sniper position in advance.
And now, more than three weeks had already passed while they waited in vain.
“But sir, this operation never made sense to begin with. Do you really…… think there’s any chance those guys will come back here?”
Master Sergeant Hong asked, removing his jungle hat to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Cho Cheol-woong gave him an incredulous look.
“You think they’ll come back to that light-rail station?”
“Yes, sir. Whether we like it or not, we’re the ones stuck dying at that spot.”
“They’re cunning bastards.”
Cho Cheol-woong said. He had thought so from the moment he first heard the negotiation terms, and the actual talks had only confirmed it.
The conditions that only one helicopter could land while the others stayed out of sight were interesting enough, but the real giveaway was limiting the number of people allowed on the ground—including the principal—to five. No, it went beyond merely being cautious; it was shrewd and professional.
To protect a VIP from snipers, you needed at least two, preferably three bodyguards. That meant only one or two people on the ground could actually fight. With only two, a proper suppression operation was impossible, so the condition had been designed from the start to minimize trouble.
And then there was that unbelievable marksman’s skill, still vivid in his memory.
He had expected an ambush somewhere, but never on the roof of the light-rail station 1.2 kilometers away. He had assumed the shooter would be somewhere on the plain or halfway up the mountain behind them, so he had focused security in those directions……
Their bold idea had truly caught him off guard. What kind of madman would attempt a pinpoint sniper shot from 1.2 kilometers away in a place where friend and foe were mixed together? And with two consecutive shots……
The distance between the ion-drink can and that one-armed kid’s head had been less than fifty centimeters. If the sniper’s aim had been off by even a single millimeter, that kid’s head would have exploded on the table instead of the can, spraying blood everywhere.
“Aigoo, our Major Cho. You’ve gone all quiet again—you must be thinking about that bastard. You’ve got it bad.”
Master Sergeant Hong teased Cho Cheol-woong, who was lost in thought. Cho Cheol-woong replied without a trace of embarrassment.
“What, so you’re saying you’re not interested in that guy?”