The Roof of Desperation
The sharp crack of gunfire split the frozen air—bang, bang, bang, bang—!
“Major, sir!”
Hong and the rest of the special forces operators shot upright with a long, desperate howl. The tactical vest that Major Cho Cheol-woong had dropped right before being dragged into the building hung in their minds like an omen of tragedy, sending a chill straight through their chests.
-Chzzt! What the hell is going on over there?! Sergeant!
The radio receiver crackled with the bewildered voices of the men who had circled around to the front of the building.
“We’re fine! Hold your current positions!”
Hong pressed the transmit button and forced himself to lie. There was no way he could answer the already confused troops with, I don’t know either! I’m losing my damn mind!
The fact that the legendary Major Cho Cheol-woong had lost in a one-on-one melee… was unfamiliar, but not impossible to accept. Ever since he had lost his left eye back at Gangjeong Base, some decline in his physical ability had been all but inevitable.
Besides, the 707 Special Mission Group had never been built for bare-knuckle brawling, so there was no damage to their pride. The true value of a leader like Cho Cheol-woong shone brightest when he commanded a team armed with personal firearms, infiltrating enemy lines and silently eliminating hostiles. Even so… watching their commander get dragged into enemy territory after a failed negotiation was pure absurdity. They had been certain his charisma would eventually force the enemy to surrender. Reality, however, had unfolded in the exact opposite direction.
If those bastards… dragged the major off somewhere and disappeared, they would suddenly be without a leader. Not just the 707 Special Mission Group, but the UDT/SEALs, air traffic controllers, and CSAR assets they had merged with—everyone—would be left leaderless.
“Aaaargh, you sons of bitches!”
A wave of bitter frustration crashed over Hong, and he roared until his throat felt like it would burst. No matter how many bullets rained down, he wanted to charge in right now and rescue their commander. But the hundreds of zombies that had multiplied and completely filled the kill zone made even leaving this spot impossible.
“We’ll wipe out the zombies and chase after them right away, Sergeant!”
The operator standing beside him shouted as if trying to convince himself. He pulled the trigger toward the horde of undead.
Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—!
“R-right!”
Hong nodded and readjusted his grip on his own weapon.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—!
Even as he poured out suppressive fire like a madman, his heart raced with unbearable urgency and anxiety. Every single second they wasted here felt like pure agony. But the person who truly looked like he was about to lose his mind the moment Cho Cheol-woong vanished into the building’s shadow was someone else entirely.
“Hey, you crazy bastard!”
Jinwoo stood with his mouth hanging open, hurling curses at the Sheriff who had already stepped inside the building. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. To think the man had dragged that major straight into the very place he was hiding! At this point, what was the difference between this and going out to greet a guest? He might as well not have gone out there showing off and fighting in the first place!
Thud, thud, thud, thud—!
Even as he raged, hurried footsteps echoed up the stairs. Moments later, the Sheriff and Cho Cheol-woong really did push open the roof access door and step inside.
“Ugh!”
Jinwoo instinctively turned his head and covered his face. Not that it did any good now.
“Downstairs! Shoot the ones coming up the stairs, Jinwoo! Those fuckers are chasing us like crazy!”
The Sheriff, having shoved Cho Cheol-woong inside, braced the steel door with one shoulder and an arm while shamelessly yelling. As if he had returned alone! And to make sure there was no mistake, he even kindly called out Jinwoo’s name!
“Why the hell did you bring him here, you lunatic?!”
Jinwoo, having reached the limit of his patience, screamed at the top of his lungs. He had gone to such ridiculous lengths to avoid running into that special forces major because it felt awkward and unpleasant. Yet this thick-skulled idiot had dragged him in like some overeager matchmaker. And with a whole swarm of zombies right behind them, no less…! But the Sheriff only bellowed back even louder.
“Then what was I supposed to do? Leave the poor guy to die? He’s just a weak old man!”
“Weak old man… Wait, are you talking about me right now…?”
“You could’ve run into that other building! That one! The one with all the mirrors set up! Then after I killed all the zombies I could’ve sent him on his way!”
Before Cho Cheol-woong could even finish his dumbfounded protest, Jinwoo ground his teeth and pointed at the building across the street. Goddamn it, there were dozens of buildings visible along this street—why the hell did it have to be this one?! But they couldn’t afford to keep arguing forever.
Boom—! Thud—!
The zombies that had already reached the roof slammed against the door with savage force, making the steel rattle violently. If the Sheriff hadn’t been holding it shut with his body, it would have flown open long ago. And since he had already destroyed the lock earlier, there was no way to secure it.
Groooaaar—! Graaaawr—!!
The stairwell entrance two floors below was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with zombies all trying to climb up. First… they had to kill every last one of them before there would be any time for arguments with the Sheriff or anything else.
Clack—!
Jinwoo leaned over the railing and opened fire toward the stairwell entrance.
Bang—! Bang bang—! Bang, bang—! Bang—! Rat-tat-tat—!
Every time his K-2 roared, the zombies clustered at the entrance collapsed with their heads blown apart. But the ones already inside the building’s stairwell were beyond help.
Boom—! Thud—! Graaaawr!
Every time the roof door cracked open and slammed shut, the zombies’ roars grew louder as they leaked through.
“Old man! Stop just standing there and grab something! Come prop this door up! Something heavy!”
The Sheriff, crouched low and bracing the door with his shoulder and hands, shouted at Cho Cheol-woong.
“…There’s only the two of you?”
Cho Cheol-woong blinked, looking genuinely shocked as he scanned the rooftop. He had assumed that anyone bold enough to stroll around in a zombie-infested city would have at least a squad-sized group hidden somewhere. Yet no matter how hard he looked, the only ones on this roof were the hulking Sheriff, the master marksman, and one dog. Unbelievable… Just how big were their balls to pull off something this insane?
“Where’s your support force?”
“There isn’t any! So just bring something over here already, will you?!”
“…So that’s how you knew our exact position. You were watching us through those mirrors from here.”
Cho Cheol-woong muttered as he stared intently at the mirrors attached to the building across the street.
Bang—! Bang—! Bang bang—! Bang—! Baaang—!
Jinwoo offered no reply, focusing solely on killing the zombies below. Gunfire echoed from the special forces team across the street as well, but at that distance and low angle, most of the bullets were blocked by the bodies of cars and offered little help. Every single zombie filling the road beneath their feet had to be taken down by him.
“Old man, what are you doing? I told you to bring something heavy—why are you just sightseeing?!”
The Sheriff’s patience had finally snapped. No matter how strong he was, continuously holding back several zombies that were all pushing with their full body weight was too much. Unlike human muscles that needed rest after exertion, zombies never tired.
Groooaaar—!
Through the slight gap in the door, the fingers of zombies with torn nails and shredded skin jabbed and clawed wildly. Because those fingers were wedged in like wedges, closing the door completely became even harder.
“Agh, you fucking mutts! Seriously!”
The Sheriff shoved the door with all his might. Several zombie fingers were severed clean off. Of course, it didn’t hurt the undead in the slightest.
“…Oh! Right!”
Cho Cheol-woong, who had been standing frozen in shock for a long time after learning there were only two of them, finally snapped out of it and moved.
Crunch—! Crack—!
He first stomped on and ripped the power cable off an air conditioner outdoor unit, then hoisted the heavy machine up.
“Lay it down! Lay it down! Otherwise it’ll tip over!”
As Cho Cheol-woong approached with the unit, the Sheriff jerked his chin toward the bottom of the door and shifted his feet slightly.
Thud—! Creeeeak—!
Cho Cheol-woong dropped the outdoor unit onto the floor, then shoved it forward until it jammed against the bottom of the steel door.
Boom—!
Even with both men adding their strength and the weight of the air conditioner, the roof door still rattled violently. And then—crash!
The skylight on the wall perpendicular to the door shattered, and a zombie’s face—covered in shards of glass—burst through.
Riiip—! Rip—!
Every time the zombie struggled to crawl out, the sharp glass fragments still embedded in the frame tore at its body. At this rate, it looked like it would break free no matter what.
“Old man! Grab this bastard! My hammer’s over there!”
The Sheriff pointed behind him with a flick of his fingers. He would have preferred to handle it himself, but if he let go of the door now, it would swing wide open and unleash hell.
“What is it? I’ll get it!”
When Jinwoo tried to turn around, the Sheriff shook his head violently.
“You just keep shooting the ones coming up from below! If any more get up here, even I won’t be able to hold them back!”
Grind—! Scraaape—!
The air conditioner unit wedged at the bottom was slowly being pushed backward.
“…With a hammer?”
Cho Cheol-woong’s eyes widened at the unexpected request. Why ask for a hammer instead of a gun? It was a strange thing to say, but he couldn’t let that grotesque zombie break through.
“There was something much better.”
As Cho Cheol-woong hurried to retrieve the Sheriff’s hammer, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. He had spotted Jinwoo’s MP5 lying on the floor. They had a weapon like this, and they were asking for a hammer?
“I’ll borrow this for a moment.”
Grrrrr—! Arf! Arf! Grrrrr—!
The instant Cho Cheol-woong turned toward the gun, Samsuk-i—who had been silently watching the unfamiliar intruder the entire time—shot forward like lightning, blocking his path and barking viciously. How dare you reach for someone else’s gun? Take one more step and I’ll rip your throat out! His eyes seemed to scream.
“Samsuk-i! It’s okay! Stand down!”
Jinwoo, still focused on shooting, quickly reached out and pulled the dog back. He didn’t want a fight to break out and get Samsuk-i hurt, nor did he want the special forces major to get injured.
He and this 707 major had already fought together once before, watching each other’s backs in the basement of the Samcheok Homeplus. The man was skilled, and not the kind of scum who would betray them in a situation like this. Most importantly… they needed his firepower right now to help the Sheriff kill the zombies.
Click—!
After checking the MP5’s magazine and slapping it back in, Cho Cheol-woong held out his hand toward Jinwoo.
“Magazines!”
His tone was as natural as when he gave orders to his own subordinates.
Clack—! Clack—!
Jinwoo paused his shooting for a moment and silently pulled three MP5 magazines from his tactical vest, handing them over without a word. Of course he had plenty of spare 9mm magazines in his backpack, but he had no intention of letting this man open it and see what was inside. Especially not the cutting-edge carbon serum case he had received from Alex…
“Old man, are you kidding me? I said hurry up!”
The Sheriff shouted in irritation.
Groooaaar—!
The problem zombie had already forced its chest and stomach through the window and was flailing, trying to get its legs free. Once its hips cleared the frame, the rest would be easy. Having to watch that horror unfold right beside him while still focusing entirely on holding the door shut was driving the Sheriff insane.
“Coming.”
Having finished preparing to fire, Cho Cheol-woong answered as he strode forward with the MP5’s muzzle lowered.
Rat-tat-tat—!
Cho Cheol-woong stopped right in front of the window zombie, pressed the muzzle against its wildly shaking head, and pulled the trigger.
Thud-thud-thud—!
After taking three rounds to the head, the zombie’s skull turned to mush and its violent thrashing stopped as if someone had flipped a switch.
Thump—!
Cho Cheol-woong grabbed the limp corpse by the back and yanked it out, throwing it roughly to the floor. He immediately began pouring bullets into the space behind the window.
Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—!
As the deafening gunfire echoed, the inside of the doorway became littered with shards of bone, brains, and gore from the zombies.
“Are you crazy, old man? What if you hit me?!”
The Sheriff flinched and lowered his stance as gunfire erupted right beside him. He was terrified a stray round might punch through the door and strike him. But Cho Cheol-woong remained perfectly calm.
“There isn’t a single idiot in this uniform who would make a mistake like that.”
He immediately pulled the trigger again.
Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat—! Thud—! Rat-tat-tat—!
After killing roughly half of the tightly packed zombies, Cho Cheol-woong stepped back and swapped magazines.
Click—! Clack—!
In that brief moment, other zombies shoved aside the headless corpses and thrust their faces toward the window. But he finished reloading in the blink of an eye and raised the muzzle once more.
Rat-tat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat-tat—!
Cho Cheol-woong switched the selector to full-auto and held the trigger down. The zombies charging the window were thrown backward.
“No… If you burn through ammo like that… Ahhh.”
Jinwoo, who had been picking up 5.56mm magazines from the floor and swapping them out, couldn’t help but glance back at the relentless stream of automatic fire.
Rat-tat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—!
Cho Cheol-woong continued to spray bullets like they were water, clearing out the zombies behind the roof door and on the stairs. Of course, Jinwoo had been the one to hand over the gun and magazines, but he hadn’t expected the man to waste them so recklessly. Meanwhile, the gun’s actual owner was still carefully squeezing off single, well-aimed shots to conserve every round…!
“Huuu…”
Jinwoo let out a deep sigh to vent his frustration and turned back toward the railing. As much as it pained him to waste ammunition, there were far more pressing problems right in front of them. First, they had to clear out all these zombies.
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—! Baaang—! Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!
The contrasting rhythms of the K-2 and MP5 filled the rooftop with the smell of gunpowder. Naturally, Jinwoo’s mind drifted back to the day he had first met this special forces major. The memory of walking through downtown Samcheok, encountering over a hundred zombies, and fleeing with his squad to a building rooftop…
Four months had passed since then, and here the two men were again in almost the exact same situation. The only things that had changed were that his shooting skills had improved dramatically, and his defensive partner had been replaced by a 707 major.
“If you’re done over there, get over here!”
A short while later, once Jinwoo had finished clearing the zombies below, Cho Cheol-woong gestured for him to come over.
“Yeah, hurry up!”
The Sheriff, who had been gritting his teeth and holding the door against the endless gunfire and zombie onslaught, also shouted. His entire body was now drenched in sweat.
Click—!
Jinwoo swapped in a fresh magazine and stood beside Cho Cheol-woong, both facing the door.
“Step back, big guy!”
Having finished aiming, Cho Cheol-woong gave the order.
“You’d better not miss, old man! If you screw up I’ll kill you myself!”
After giving the door one final, powerful shove, the Sheriff quickly backpedaled diagonally. Roughly one second later, the steel door flew open and the remaining zombies on the stairs came pouring out in a flood.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—! Bang bang—! Bang—! Rat-tat-tat—!
Jinwoo’s K-2 and Cho Cheol-woong’s MP5 spat fire at the same time.
Graaaawr—! Thud-thud-thud—! Thud—!
The zombies that came roaring forward had their heads blown apart and were thrown backward. There were only two shooters, but their firepower was more than enough.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!
With one final clean burst from Cho Cheol-woong, the chaotic battle on the rooftop came to an end. No more moving zombies remained around the building where they had taken shelter. A hundred or so were still wandering in the direction of the special forces team’s firing line, but that was a problem for them to handle.
Clack—!
Cho Cheol-woong lowered his MP5 and turned to look at Jinwoo.
Damn it…
Feeling that gaze, Jinwoo clenched his jaw tightly. The immediate physical threat was over, but an extremely uncomfortable conversation still lay ahead.
“Huuu…”
Cho Cheol-woong let out a light sigh, then spoke in a voice thick with emotion.
“It really was you, you son of a bitch…”