A Bitter Triumph
‘Something…… is wrong.’
Master Sergeant Hong thought as he swapped out his magazine.
Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat—!
Right beside him came the continuous roar of two other special mission operators firing on full auto.
“Stop standing around and fall back! Retreat!”
Someone shouted at the soldiers. But an even louder roar instantly swallowed that desperate voice whole.
Grrrrraaaaaah—!
The echoes slamming off the underground parking garage’s ceiling and pillars amplified the creatures’ massive howls, making them even more nightmarish. Every sweep of a flashlight beam dragged zombies out of the darkness; they lunged forward, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.
Rat-tat—! Boom—! Rat-tat-tat—! Boom—! Rat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat-tat—!
All four shooters, Hong included, kept firing while stepping backward. Yet the exaggerated shadows cast by the flashlight beams still writhed with far too many moving shapes.
‘We never should have come this way…….’
Master Sergeant Hong ground his teeth in belated regret. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. There had been no clear mistake. But the situation kept sliding in the worst possible direction.
Taking shelter inside the building to escape the zombies that had suddenly burst from the surveillance team’s blind spot had seemed like the right move…… but the underground parking garage—the only open escape route—had turned into the worst possible battlefield for them.
Third basement level, the deepest part of the structure. Pushed all the way to the innermost wall even here, their field of vision had shrunk to almost nothing thanks to the thick darkness and support pillars. Their ears rang from the repeated grenade blasts. To survive they had to use their flashlights efficiently and shout until their throats bled just to communicate.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
The soldiers backed against the rear wall screamed—whether in terror or despair, it was impossible to tell. Facing a swarm of zombies with empty rifles, it was only natural. At least none of them suddenly broke and ran; none added to the chaos with panicked stupidity.
“Sergeant Kim, twelve o’clock!”
The shotgun operator who heard Master Sergeant Hong’s order pumped 12-gauge shells straight ahead.
Boom—! Boom—!
The two rounds that erupted from the Benelli M4 spread wide, shoving the oncoming wave of zombies backward in a single violent push. The other three special mission operators used the brief breathing room to reform their line and pour 9mm fire into the surrounding undead.
Rat-tat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—!
Every muzzle flash from the MP5 sent a zombie crashing down with its head blown apart. Even so, the crushing numerical disadvantage barely improved.
“The ramp! The ramp!”
Hearing the frantic shout, Master Sergeant Hong glanced over and saw another mass of zombies pouring down the entrance ramp that connected to the second basement level. Distance: roughly thirty-five meters. At least fifty undead. If those joined the slaughter already unfolding, any hope of survival would vanish.
Gwaaaaaak—!
As if warning him not to look away, two zombies leaped from the flashlight’s left blind spot and hurled themselves at him.
Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—!
Hong pivoted instantly and hosed them down with the MP5.
Thud-thud—! Thud-thud-thud—! Splatter—!
Bullet holes punched through their skulls and chests. Green brain matter sprayed across his face. The stench was revolting, thick enough to choke on. But he wasn’t granted the luxury of vomiting or spitting.
Click—!
He yanked the pin on the last grenade clipped to his tactical vest and hurled it toward the ramp with everything he had. Using a frag in such a confined space was hardly smart, but they had run out of choices.
Clang—! Clatter-clatter—!
Confirming the grenade had bounced off the ceiling and landed behind the main cluster, Master Sergeant Hong screamed at the top of his lungs.
“Grenade, three o’clock!”
The soldiers dropped flat beneath the vehicles at his warning. The special mission operators ducked behind the thick parking pillars. Even then, the flashlights mounted on their barrels stayed trained forward. Anything less and they would become prey in seconds.
Booooooom—! Crash—!
The grenade detonated on the ramp. Its shockwave tore through the garage, shattering every car window and overhead fluorescent light in its path.
Wooooong—!
Hong and the operators pressed themselves tight against separate pillars, faces twisted, enduring the sickening vibration that drilled into their eardrums. At the same time they laid down suppressive fire in their assigned sectors to prevent any undead from slipping through.
Splat—! Thud—!
Torn chunks of zombie flesh flew alongside concrete shards, slapping against pillars and raining across the floor. Even the creatures charging from outside the blast radius staggered, shoved sideways by the pressure wave.
“Flashlights up! Flashlights!”
Sergeant First Class Kim, having just fired three shotgun shells in a wide arc, reloaded frantically while shouting at the soldiers behind them. The handful of flashlights on the special forces helmets and barrels simply couldn’t pierce the darkness. They needed the troops’ handheld lights desperately. In a situation where blinding beams could suddenly sweep in from any direction, night-vision goggles were useless.
Grrrrraaaaaah—!
The zombies that had been knocked back by the blast regained their balance and charged again, roaring.
“Uwaaaaaaaaah!”
The special mission operators answered with their own battle cries, raising their weapons. They all understood. This wave was the final assault—and it might very well be their last.
Boom—! Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—! Boom—! Grrrrraaaaaah—!
Flashlight beams jittered through the gloom. Inside every trembling circle of light waited a zombie’s grotesque face. The operators swung their muzzles left and right in a frenzy—firing, reloading, scanning the next threat.
Thud—! Thud—! Grrrrraaah—! Thud—! Kwaaaaak—! Thump—! Graaaaaah—!
Heads exploded. Eyeballs burst. Brain matter soaked the concrete. There was no time to feel relief when a corpse dropped; another zombie simply vaulted over it with its jaws spread wide.
Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat—!
Master Sergeant Hong poured every ounce of skill and stamina into destroying heads and punching through bodies. Shifting position would have kept him safer, but it would have left the soldiers behind completely exposed. He refused to let the kids that the two rookies and Major Cho Cheol-woong had saved at the cost of their own lives meet such an end. He had to hold here. Focus. Focus!
Grrrrraaaak—! Kaaaak—! Rat-tat-tat-tat—! Boom—! Gwaaaaaah—! Rat-tat-tat-tat—!
When only a dozen zombies remained, Sergeant First Class Kim’s shotgun ran dry. He ditched the Benelli M4 and grabbed his MP5, but the sudden loss of the area-denial firepower that had anchored their formation hit the battle instantly—especially hard for Kim himself, who had been holding the tip of their wide-based triangle.
Grrrrraaah—! Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!
Kim poured fire into the undead rushing him and collapsed beneath them.
Gwaaaaaak—!
Three—no, four—zombies shoved their teeth forward, pinning him with monstrous strength. No matter how hard he tried to raise his muzzle, he couldn’t break their grip.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat-tat—!
The 9mm rounds from his MP5 shredded their waists into bloody rags, sent bone fragments flying, and spilled guts across the floor, yet the zombies didn’t care. They simply staggered back for a moment before lunging again.
“Ugh!”
Kim tucked his chin tight, blocking the teeth snapping at his face with his helmet.
Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat—! Rat-tat-tat-tat—!
Gunfire continued without pause from both sides. His comrades were locked in the same desperate melee. No help was coming.
Crunch—! Crunch—!
A zombie’s teeth scraped across his left elbow pad. Kim rammed his elbow into its mouth and shoved. If his strength faltered even slightly, those filthy fangs would sink into his forearm.
Am I going to get bitten……?
The moment fear flashed through his mind, the head of the zombie trying to bite his shoulder exploded with a wet thud. Then the one beside it. Even the last creature still latched onto his elbow pad took three rounds to the temple and collapsed.
“Haa……! Haa……!”
Kim panted wildly, shoving the corpses off his body.
Rat-tat-tat-tat—!
In the same instant Master Sergeant Hong twisted and put several more 9mm rounds into the zombie crawling up behind him.
“You okay, Sergeant Kim? You good?”
Hong approached after confirming the creature’s head had burst. Kim looked up at the man who had just dragged him back from death and nodded.
“Yes! I’m fine! Haa……! I think…… I’m okay.”
Kim checked his chest and shoulder. They were soaked in zombie brains and guts, but he couldn’t find any bite wounds. At least not according to his own senses.
“You fought well. Reload fast.”
Hong grabbed his hand and pulled him up. By then the gunfire had finally stopped. Only thick gunpowder smoke and a carpet of zombie corpses remained as proof of how close it had been. The operators swept their flashlights across the garage, checking for any undead still twitching.
No more were descending from above, but no one questioned why. The gunfire that had been echoing down from the surface had been clear enough to reach even their ringing ears.
Bang—! Bang-bang—! Bang-bang! Bang! Bang! Baaaaang—! Aaaaang—!
The long echo rolling through the underground garage walls was the distinctive sound of a K-2 rifle. That told them exactly who was shooting.
“That bastard…… he actually made it all the way here to support us.”
Master Sergeant Hong gave a bitter smile and wiped at the dried brain matter caked across his face. The reason they hadn’t included the private in the advance team had been a matter of pride, plain and simple. No matter how highly Major Cho Cheol-woong regarded the kid’s marksmanship, Hong had wanted to prove that the special mission group’s long-forged teamwork would never lose to one man’s individual power. His own arrogance and stubbornness had brought them to this bitter ending, but……
Baaaaang—! Bang-bang! Bang! Bang! Baaaaang—!
The rifle fire continued, and within that mechanical rhythm Master Sergeant Hong felt a surprisingly large wave of relief. The situation was over. The evacuation would succeed.
It was time to admit it. That strange private stood alone on an entirely different level—like a monster from another dimension. Even they, the best elite soldiers South Korea could produce and train, could never reach the heights where he stood.
“Check the kids. Sergeant Kim, watch the front.”
Master Sergeant Hong issued the order. The operators moved toward the soldiers huddled against the rear wall and called out loudly.
“Anyone bitten? Check the guy next to you! Look for wounds! Anyone with an open injury gets isolated immediately!”
They had done everything they could to protect them, but the fight had been too chaotic. There was always the chance something had slipped past their line of sight.
“I got hurt…… but this is, uh…… I scraped it when I fell while running earlier! It’s not a bite!”
“My wound is from breaking through a glass window at Children’s Grand Park this morning! Look at the dried scab! I wasn’t bitten! I swear!”
Several wounded soldiers showed their injuries and desperately insisted the wounds had nothing to do with zombies.
“Yeah, yeah. Open your clothes. You—roll up that sleeve. Don’t waste time! We know injuries can happen in a fight like this! It’s for everyone’s safety, so cooperate!”
The operators nodded curtly and examined the wounds carefully under their flashlight beams. They found no marks that resembled bites.
“Quite a few are injured, but none appear to have been bitten. We’ll isolate them anyway just to be safe.”
The operator who had finished checking the soldiers reported to Master Sergeant Hong. Hong let out a small sigh of relief and nodded.
“Good. That’s good. Haa…… Then I guess I’m the only one who got bitten?”
“What?”
All eyes snapped to him at the unexpected words. At first they thought he was joking…… but the rivers of sweat pouring down Master Sergeant Hong’s face couldn’t be faked. And that wound…… It wasn’t deep, but the clear imprint of teeth was unmistakable.
“Like an idiot…… I screwed up. Can’t even tell anyone about this. How embarrassing……”
Master Sergeant Hong forced a bitter smile, but the other three operators looked as if they had been struck by lightning. They had fought through countless battles together. He had always been the most skilled, capable, and trustworthy superior. So why was something this fucked up happening now……?
Especially Sergeant First Class Kim, whose life had just been saved by the man, couldn’t process the shock.
“Master Sergeant Hong, because of me……”
Kim bit his lip and swallowed the rest of the choked sentence. There was no way a soldier of Hong’s caliber would get bitten without being pinned down. Getting bitten on the back of the thigh like this was simply impossible. Anyone could see the wound had come from rushing too fast to save him and failing to finish off one last zombie.
“What are you talking about! Stop spouting nonsense and let’s get these kids upstairs. I can still…… move. I should be able to finish this mission at least.”
When Master Sergeant Hong pointed at the soldiers behind him and spoke calmly, the operators shook their heads violently.
“Master Sergeant Hong! Are those kids the priority right now? They can climb out on their own! We’ve killed all the zombies! What’s urgent is you!”
They didn’t want to blame the rescued soldiers or the rookie group. They were special mission operators—raised from the beginning to save allies. But they could not simply stand by and let their superior turn.
“What can urgency possibly do?”
When Master Sergeant Hong smiled bitterly, the operators leaned in and whispered urgently.
“The blood! You have that blood, right? It can cure you! And those people are right here, aren’t they?”
“Where would they even have it, you idiot? Even if they’re here, you think they’d be carrying it around?”
Even when Hong dismissed the idea, the operators refused to back down.
“Even if it’s hidden, it must be somewhere nearby! Just tell us the location and we’ll find it immediately! Please hold on until then, Master Sergeant—!”
“I said enough! Do you honestly think that makes sense?”
Master Sergeant Hong raised his voice, silencing them, then gestured at the underground garage.
“We got pushed this far while moving barely a kilometer! And now you want me to risk all of you again just to save myself? You’re already low on ammo! I will never allow it. So give up, get those kids to safety, follow the field manual, and assist the Major when he returns! Act like the professionals you are! Act according to your training!”
The newly added section in the special mission group’s field manual ordered the execution of bitten comrades. After listening to their last words and taking their dog tags, put a bullet in the head…… A nauseating explanation even followed, claiming the act preserved the fallen soldier’s dignity.
“We can never do that!”
Sergeant First Class Kim shook his head stubbornly. The rest of the operators closed in around Hong as if they would not yield.
“Is this mutiny? Is this…… how you want me to remember your last moments? Huh?”
When Master Sergeant Hong tried to scold them, the sound of a dog barking echoed from the stairs leading down from the second basement level.
Arf—!
Then came the one-armed man’s small voice.
“Over here…… Sam-sook? ……Isn’t that Master Sergeant Hong? We’re…… coming!”
Their ears were still ringing too badly to catch everything the one-armed man said, but the big man’s roar was loud enough to shake the entire parking garage, making every word crystal clear.
“Jungle-hat Uncleeee! We’re coming down now so don’t shoot for no reason! Got it? If you heard me, answer already!”