Ally (2)
The Witch stood face-to-face with a zombie corpse on the theater stairs.
“Huuu……! Huuu……!”
The Witch exhaled heavily, clenching her fists. No matter how hard she tried to steady herself, her breathing only grew more ragged.
Approaching a body that had been left twisted at an unnatural angle in the corner of the stairs for an entire day was…… naturally terrifying. The corpse itself was horrifying, but the primal fear that it might not be completely dead made her freeze even more.
‘What if…… it suddenly comes back to life and lunges at me……?!’
Even though she knew that was impossible, the Witch found herself glancing up at the zombie’s head. The face, crushed by the hammer, came into view. Eyes, nose, and mouth all mashed together with bone fragments……!
“Hurk!”
The Witch recoiled in shock and immediately turned her head away. Her heart was pounding so violently she couldn’t control it. Her hands and feet felt ice-cold, and her head throbbed as if it were about to split open.
“Look straight at it and hold on properly.”
Mingu shone his headlamp on the Witch’s face and spoke coldly. He wasn’t about to let her flinch and drop the corpse, turning the entire stairwell into a mess of brain matter.
“I got it, ah, okay…….”
The Witch grimaced, squeezing her eyes shut before opening them again. Having to touch a corpse in such a grotesque state…… No, not just touch it, but lift it with her own strength and drag it away—this was too much. It was nothing short of torture.
“Dammit!”
The moment she grabbed the zombie’s ankles, a curse burst from the Witch’s mouth. That cold, stiff texture! Even with two layers of Kevlar gloves, she could feel it completely.
“Lift.”
Mingu ordered.
“Nngh……!”
The Witch gritted her teeth and put strength into her arms. Mingu lifted the upper body in sync with her movement. Together, they slowly took one step at a time up the stairs.
“Agh……!”
The Witch followed Mingu’s pull, stepping forward while screaming inside her mind.
‘I’m going to lose it……! I feel like I’m actually going to lose it!’
Her arms and legs trembled violently. It wasn’t just the weight of the zombie corpse itself—it was the sheer revulsion of the situation that she couldn’t endure. Hwang Nayeon, who had never once emptied her own trash bin in her entire life, now had to carry several rotting zombie corpses down a dark building stairwell!
She wanted to run away……. She wanted to escape this situation.
A constant stream of irritated complaints poured out from the Witch’s mind. Yet even so, she had no choice but to keep her mouth shut and do as she was told. Because…… her partner in this task was a terrifying killer, the Jack the Ripper of Yongsan.
Hidden inside that man’s suit was a large knife he had calmly sharpened all morning. If she accidentally dropped the corpse…… he would undoubtedly swing it without warning as punishment. And besides…… tatatatata-! Tatatatang-! Tangtang-! Tatatatata-!
Continuous gunfire echoed from not far away. It meant the search team was getting quite close. Before those bastards entered the theater building, they had to clear the fresh zombie corpses scattered across the stairs so they wouldn’t be noticed. Otherwise, she herself might end up just as horribly dead as those corpses.
“On three, throw it. Got it?”
Having reached the twelfth floor and opened the theater door, Mingu turned to the Witch and asked.
Nod-!
The Witch nodded vigorously instead of answering. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, the toxic substances from the stench would seep into her body. Even with a mask on, it didn’t seem like it would help much.
Heavy…….
The Witch had to grit her teeth to bear the weight on her arms. But she didn’t voice any complaints. She was afraid that knife-wielding man would suggest cutting the corpse in half to lighten the load.
“One, two…… three!”
Mingu shouted three and swung his arms hard. The Witch threw the corpse’s legs with all her strength to match.
Thud-!
The zombie corpse they threw landed on top of the others, bouncing with a sickeningly dull sound. At the same time, the Witch scrunched up her face and squeezed her eyes shut. This disgust! Nausea kept rising in her throat, and she couldn’t hold it back.
‘Endure it! I said endure it! If you throw up on the stairs, you’ll have to clean that up too!’
The Witch tried to convince herself. The one saving grace was that she hadn’t eaten much since yesterday. If she had eaten breakfast and lunch, she would have reached her limit much earlier.
“Huu……! Huu……, ugh……!”
Out of habit, the Witch raised her hand to cover her mouth, then widened her eyes in horror. The hand that had just been holding the zombie corpse…… had touched her mask! It was no different from pressing her face against the corpse! The moment that thought hit her, her body completely escaped her control.
“Ugh! Bleeegh!”
The Witch dashed madly into the theater, yanking off her mask and hugging the trash can. Coffee and stomach acid mixed with a few bits of food spilled into the rotting-smelling trash bag. The smell made her retch again.
Tatatatata-! Tatatang-!
As if telling her to stop whining and get up to finish clearing the corpses, gunfire rang out again in the distance.
Tatatang-! Tatatang-! Tatatatata-!
That tremendous gunfire reached Yubin on the rooftop even louder and clearer.
“Whoa…… those guys aren’t messing around.”
Yubin pressed himself flat against the wall, lowering his posture as he muttered.
Tang-! Tatatatang-! Tatang-!
The enemies kept pulling the trigger mercilessly, as if determined to kill every zombie wandering the streets. He still didn’t know their exact location, but given how loud the gunfire was, it had to be within about a kilometer.
‘They came down faster than I thought…….’
The enemies’ direction and speed were far more precise and rapid than expected, making Yubin tilt his head. Had they thoroughly searched all those buildings from Ttukseom Park to here? If that were really the case, their numbers must far exceed his imagination.
‘How many came? 100? 200? No, even that many couldn’t have searched all those buildings in such a short time…….’
Yubin steadied his anxious mind and listened to the gunfire.
Tatatang-! Tatang-! Tatatatata-!
That inhuman, mechanical noise that he just couldn’t get used to. No matter how hard he concentrated, it was impossible to gauge their scale. If Jinwoo were here, he might have been able to estimate how many were firing…….
“Huu……. It’s okay, it’s okay……. They still can’t reach here.”
Yubin gritted his teeth and tried to encourage himself. Even without Jinwoo and the Sheriff, he and Mingu had two reliable allies to block the enemies’ approach. The massive horde of zombies wandering right in front of them, and the darkness that would soon engulf the entire city.
Swish-!
Yubin rolled up his sleeve to check his watch. Ten minutes until 4 PM. Once 5:30 passed, the streets would become pitch black, forcing the enemies to stop their search. Wandering unfamiliar night streets filled with zombies was no different from suicide. So at most, they just had to hold out quietly for another hour and a half.
After a few more minutes passed, Yubin felt the gunfire grow sparse and slightly raised his head.
“Are they taking a breather now?”
It was nice that his ringing ears could finally rest, but more than that, he was grateful the quiet was enough to contact the Sheriff and Jinwoo. The gunfire had been so loud that he hadn’t been able to send any radio transmissions, worried they might get startled and make a mistake.
Beep-!
Yubin pressed the transmit button on the radio while staring north at the street.
“It’s me, Sheriff! Jinwoo! Can you hear me?”
-Chik! Ah, yeah…… um, ah……. Yu…… no, um……! Hey, wait a sec! Wait just a moment! Chiiik-!
The Sheriff, who had been about to say Yubin’s name out of habit, hurriedly swallowed his words and hesitated like someone with something to hide.
‘What the hell, this bastard……. What did he do this time to act so weird?’
For a few seconds, only static came through. Worry clouds immediately billowed up in Yubin’s mind. The Sheriff’s tone was even more suspicious than when he’d talked about the car yesterday. He wasn’t in immediate danger, but it was clear he’d caused some pretty big trouble. Or was about to.
- Chik! Are you alone right now?
After a short while, the Sheriff asked. It was still a mystery to Yubin.
“Yeah! Why are you suddenly asking that?”
-Chik! There’s no one next to you…… Chik! You’re sure, right? Chik!
The guy asked for confirmation again. Only then did Yubin realize he was being wary of the Witch. But he couldn’t guess at all why that would be necessary. What secret could the Witch not know?
“Yeah! I’m sure! But why are you asking? More importantly, where are you guys right now?”
Yubin’s face hardened as he asked.
-Chiiik! We’re…… near Myeonmok Station……!
“Hey! I can’t hear you well, Sheriff! Why are you whispering like that?”
-Chik! There’s a situation! It’s not that, we’re meeting someone right now……. Chik!
“……What?”
Yubin wondered if he’d misheard because of the radio static. It was that unexpected.
“You met…… someone?”
Yubin asked, blinking. Meeting someone……. What kind of nonsense was that? They weren’t kids going to Hongdae on a weekend during peaceful times. How could they possibly meet anyone in a Seoul filled with nothing but zombies?
-Chiiik……! Ah, well…… it’s someone you know too…… Chik!
“Ah!”
Upon hearing the Sheriff’s answer, Yubin immediately understood and let out an exclamation. The face of that Special Mission Group major Jinwoo had been glaring at last night flashed through his mind. The only person they could meet in Seoul right now, someone Yubin also knew, was that man.
“Hey! Sheriff, did you guys meet that Special Mission Group major? Why?”
-Chik……! No, well…… we got tailed somehow……. Chik……!
“You guys aren’t captured by them or anything, right? You’re okay?”
Cold sweat ran down Yubin’s back as he waited for an answer. Of course Jinwoo and the Sheriff weren’t pushovers, but the other side was elite special forces trained specifically for combat. If surrounded by multiple enemies, victory wasn’t guaranteed.
-Chiiik! No, who’s captured……! It’s not that, this old man keeps following us and trying to talk……. Chik-! The situation is…… chik! like this…….
The Sheriff began explaining. Yubin kept wiping the sweat running down his face as he listened to the radio.
“Say that one more time! That person remembers Jinwoo’s name? Not because you casually called it out, but he actually knows it?”
There were so many unbelievable parts that Yubin had to ask for confirmation multiple times. The part about the guy approaching with a gun on the car roof saying “shoot if you want” was strange, and the part about the soldier who saved Terra being with him was surprising, but the most chilling was hearing that he remembered Jinwoo’s full name and rank. He wasn’t a stalker, so what kind of weird situation was this?
‘Damn…….’
Anyway, it was a headache-inducing matter, so Yubin swallowed a curse. The soldiers who had entered near Children’s Grand Park were already enough to worry about, and now they were entangled with the Special Mission Group too.
‘This got even more complicated. How do I cleverly resolve this?’
While listening to the Sheriff’s explanation, Yubin kept turning the problem over in his mind.
“……So right now, he’s holding us and saying he wants to buy that…… blood. Says it’s necessary for something bigger, or whatever…….”
The Sheriff continued speaking in a lowered voice while glancing sideways at Cho Cheol-ung on the other side of the rooftop.
-Chiiik! That person remembers the price as 100,000 rounds, chik…… right? He wants to buy it? Without Lieutenant General Shin’s permission, is that even possible? Chik……!
Yubin seemed most curious about that part too. Even though Yubin couldn’t see him, the Sheriff nodded slightly.
“Huh? Yeah, he says he has the ammo. Says if we go another 1.5 kilometers from here, there’s a secret warehouse with tons of bullets, but I think it’s bullshit……”
“Who are you radioing with? Your superior?”
Cho Cheol-ung, who had been silently watching the Sheriff with his mouth firmly shut, approached with heavy steps and held out his hand.
“Give it! I’ll talk to them myself.”
“What do you mean, talk yourself? Forget it, old man! Just go over there and hold Jinwoo’s hand! You’re not even their boss, but you’re trying to meddle in everything!”
Even when the Sheriff pushed him away, Cho Cheol-ung stubbornly persisted.
“You’re not the one making decisions anyway! It’d be better if I negotiate directly and set the terms!”
Of course he wanted that sniper private too, but the immune person’s blood…… that was truly important. If he brought just that back and made up some lie for Lieutenant General Shin, he could gain complete trust in one go.
“I said forget it! Ah, why is this old man so stubborn! Seriously!”
The Sheriff grabbed Cho Cheol-ung’s arm and twisted it while raising the radio he held in his other hand above his head. Jinwoo, unable to watch their childish scuffle any longer, joined in.
“Just give it to him, Sheriff! Dragging this out between us won’t get us anywhere!”
His mind was blank with worry that his deserter status might be exposed, and while the Sheriff was a great guy, he had no cunning. So to wrap this situation up wisely, Yubin’s wisdom was needed.
“Agh, shit! I don’t know anymore! Here, do whatever you want!”
Once Jinwoo stepped in, the Sheriff finally released his grip on Cho Cheol-ung and handed over the radio.
“I’ve received the radio. This is Major Cho Cheol-ung of the 707 Special Mission Group. Who am I speaking with?”
Cho Cheol-ung pressed the transmit button and asked calmly. A composed reply came from the other side.
-Chiiik! This is the one-armed man you met before, Major. You want to purchase the immune…… chik…… blood? Chik……!
The moment he heard the voice, that smirking face came to mind. The young punk who had led the negotiations while casually name-dropping Lieutenant General Shin despite his age. This time too, the guy was acting quite bold. This situation must be quite disconcerting for him as well, yet there was no sign of it.
“Don’t be arrogant and state your rank and name properly! What unit are you from, and what’s your rank?”
Cho Cheol-ung applied more pressure. But the one-armed guy actually replied with a mocking tone.
-Chijik……! My position is the only person in the Republic of Korea selling immune blood. Chik……! I thought you grabbed the radio because you wanted to buy it, but was I wrong? Chik!
“Hah! ……Fine. That’s needed too. I could also help solve the problems you’re facing.”
Cho Cheol-ung answered indirectly with implication. He expected the guy to understand that much……. But the one-armed punk showed no particular reaction and immediately asked another question.
-Chik……! I heard you have live ammunition for payment…… chik……. Is that correct as well?
“Yeah, I’ve already told them to stop by the ammo depot and take what they need. Since you know the coordinates, you can grab it right away. Or I could load it onto the helicopter when you guys return later. Are you ready to make a deal now?”
-Chiiik! We can make a deal, but not like that. We don’t do credit or deferred payment unless it’s with the generals. So if you pay half upfront first, we can start the transaction then…… chik……! Chik!
“Half would be 50,000 rounds? You want that first?”
Upon hearing Yubin’s terms, Cho Cheol-ung deliberately raised his voice a little. But Yubin didn’t waver in the slightest.
-Chiiik……! Yes, that’s right. Let’s meet at 6 PM tonight. The location is that bridge where you left the rubber boat last night. Bring 50,000 rounds there by then. Chik……!