The Serum
The sound of bone crunching and flesh tearing echoed sharply.
“Huk!”
The moment they heard Sheriff’s voice, the special forces operators let out strangled gasps and shouted toward the stairs.
“Hey! We’re over here! We won’t shoot, so hurry up and come down!”
The operators screamed like children at the top of their lungs.
Clack-clack-clack-clack—!
Sergeant First Class Kim couldn’t wait any longer. He sprinted toward the door, his combat boots pounding furiously. That was how desperately they had been waiting for these guys to appear.
Creeeeak—!
The heavy steel door in the center of the parking garage swung open. Sheriff, who had descended the stairs, stepped forward with a grumble.
“Aww, fuck! No wonder the radio wouldn’t work down here. I was worried sick! Why the hell did you guys run into the basement of all places….”
“Blood! The immune’s blood!”
Sergeant First Class Kim, his face deathly pale, grabbed Sheriff by the shoulders and demanded. His lips were bone-dry and his tongue stiff, so despite his urgency, his pronunciation came out slurred and unclear.
“What are you saying? …Myeokjapi?”
When Sheriff frowned, unable to understand him right away, Sergeant First Class Kim spoke even faster.
“That blood! Where is it?! The immune’s blood! Hey! Answer me! Where did you hide the immune’s blood?! We’re in a hurry right now!”
Sergeant First Class Kim shook Sheriff with all his might, as if he were coughing up blood. Even so, Sheriff’s thick, solid frame didn’t budge an inch.
“…What’s going on? Did someone get bitten?”
Yubin asked, glancing toward the corner of the parking garage. But he didn’t need to wait for an answer. Just from Master Sergeant Hong’s sweat-drenched face and the expressions of the operators surrounding him, he could guess the situation. Leaving Sergeant First Class Kim and Sheriff alone, Yubin quickly ran over to Master Sergeant Hong.
Arf!
Samsuk-i, who had briefly taken on the role of his bodyguard, barked shortly and followed after him.
“Is it… just this one person who got bitten?”
Yubin asked, looking back and forth between Master Sergeant Hong and the operators.
“Ah, yeah… I got pretty embarrassed. But don’t go thinking all our guys are at my level.”
Master Sergeant Hong, leaning against a pillar, forced a smile and even cracked a joke. The back of his thigh, where he was clutching his uniform, was soaked in blood. The wound wasn’t deep, but the torn skin clearly showed the distinct marks of a zombie’s teeth.
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—! Bang, bang! Baaaaang—!
Gunshots from the surface echoed once more, reaching all the way to the deepest part of the third basement level. Master Sergeant Hong looked up at the ceiling and asked.
“Private Park… stayed up top?”
“Yes. We need someone on lookout. Two long bursts of automatic fire is the signal that a lot of zombies are coming, so you have to run up the stairs immediately. Anyway… please sit over here first. Right here.”
Yubin took Master Sergeant Hong by the hand and pulled him behind a pillar where the soldiers couldn’t see. He didn’t want to show the advanced serum case supplied by JL to those soldiers.
Whoosh—!
His hand burned like it was on fire. It told Yubin that there wasn’t much time left.
“No… I can still stand. I won’t feel at ease until I see those kids get out safely. A mission has to be completed… Haaaa…!”
Even as sweat dripped from him and his body swayed, Master Sergeant Hong stubbornly clung to his elite pride. Since Yubin couldn’t overpower him with strength alone, he asked the operators for help.
“Um… could you please help this man sit over here? In a state where he can’t keep his balance like this…”
I can’t administer the serum. If he staggers and the needle slips, we’ll waste precious serum… He wanted to say that, but the special forces operators had no patience left to listen to a long explanation.
“Hey! Forget all that! Where the hell did you hide that blood?! Tell us that first!”
The operators grabbed Yubin and begged. As their voices grew fiercer, Samsuk-i began barking, and to overpower the dog, the operators only shouted louder.
“Just tell us the location! We’ll get it no matter what it takes! Hey! You bastard, please! You promised to give us live ammo! You even paid in advance! I’ll swear on my life if that’s what it takes!”
It almost felt like they were mistaking him for some cold-blooded, heartless devil merchant, but Yubin didn’t react. He simply turned to Sheriff.
“Sheriff!”
“Mm.”
Sheriff, who had been standing beside Sergeant First Class Kim near Yubin, stepped forward and forcefully sat Master Sergeant Hong down behind the pillar.
“Hey, you idiot! Why are you treating an injured man so roughly?! And we don’t need that half-assed kindness, so just tell us where you hid the blood already!”
The agitated operators grabbed Sheriff’s thick forearm and yelled. Of course, Sheriff didn’t back down either.
“I’m going to save this old man, so shut the hell up! You want to spread this all over town or what? They can all hear you too!”
What he jerked his chin toward were the soldiers huddled in the corner. Having witnessed one of their rescuers get bitten by a zombie, they were all crouched down in guilt and fear. But they were still enemy troops. There was no telling what rumors might spread and where.
“You bastard! Does it look like we can stay quiet right now?! Every single second counts!”
Killing intent now burned in the special forces operators’ eyes. Master Sergeant Hong, unable to watch any longer, raised his hand to stop them.
“Ah, come on, you guys… I told you not to overdo it. Even if you go looking for the blood now, what can you do? In the middle of the night like this?”
Using darkness as an ally to kill enemies with night-vision goggles and infrared laser sights was one of the special forces’ specialties, but fighting zombies was different. Those things could detect humans even in total darkness and moved as fast as they did in broad daylight. Night was an overwhelmingly advantageous battlefield for the zombies.
“Don’t take any more losses for nothing! Just give up! Follow the manual!”
Master Sergeant Hong spoke forcefully, eyes hard. Clinging to false hope would only guarantee death, and it was obvious more victims would just pile up.
“We absolutely refuse, Master Sergeant Hong! We will definitely bring back the blood and save you!”
The operators shouted, voices thick with desperation. Master Sergeant Hong shook his head in frustration.
“You idiots! It’s no use! Look at me right now… You won’t make it back in time… Hurry up and get to the surface… and until the major returns, don’t report this situation…”
“You can hold on, Master Sergeant! You’re a strong man! We know that!”
While they were filming their own melodramatic scene, Yubin took off his backpack and unzipped it. He pulled out the carbon case that had been securely fastened inside with Velcro tape.
“What’s that? What is that thing? Don’t tell me… you’ve been carrying the blood around?”
The operators asked in hopeful voices. But they all knew that couldn’t be true. Blood wasn’t something you could just carry at room temperature. Even during the previous trade at Taereung, the three packs of blood had been handed over inside an icebox packed full of ice.
“Aww! Don’t reach for it, just stay still! If you really want to save this old man, then stop! You want me to drop it because you’re making a scene?”
When the operators reached out to check what was inside the carbon case, Sheriff quickly blocked them.
Click—! Hiss—!
When Yubin released the lock on the carbon case, the vacuum seal broke and the thick, shock-absorbing gray lid opened. Inside was a silver serum injector that looked like a thick fountain pen.
Gulp—!
For a moment, every single special forces operator swallowed hard and fell silent. Even the despair on Master Sergeant Hong’s face flickered with a sliver of hope. The JL carbon case and serum injector were that eye-catching as cutting-edge equipment.
“Don’t move.”
Yubin pressed the front end of the injector against Master Sergeant Hong’s neck and pushed the button on the back.
Thump—! Pshhh—!
Along with the sound of the needle piercing skin, the automatic injection device slowly pushed the serum into Master Sergeant Hong’s body. Through the transparent side window, the yellow liquid could be seen gradually decreasing.
Tick—!
Once the serum injection was complete, the button on the auto-injector popped out on its own, retracting the needle.
“Whew…”
Yubin let out a light sigh and placed the injector back into the carbon case. He had practiced a few times with vitamin solution, but this was his first time actually injecting the real serum. And injecting it into someone else’s body, at that… It would be a lie to say he hadn’t been nervous.
“What the hell… did you just… do?”
Master Sergeant Hong, who had been blinking with bloodshot eyes without saying a word until then, asked while sweat poured off him. He could tell it was some incredibly advanced piece of technology, but he had no idea what it actually was.
“It’s an immune serum. …Shh!”
Yubin, who had hidden the carbon case back in his backpack, raised a finger to his lips and whispered softly. It was a request to keep it secret from the rescued soldiers. The special forces operators muttered in disbelief.
“The immune’s blood… isn’t it carried in packs of blood? There’s a serum? And one that can be stored in that form? You’re not lying, are you? Let me see it again! Hand it over!”
“Ugh, seriously! I used something incredibly precious and you’re talking like that. Do I look like the kind of guy who would lie in a situation like this? And… if it wasn’t real, who knows when I might turn into a zombie and attack? Would I really be sitting this close to your face talking like this?! I get that you’re desperate, but that’s not how you should act! Huh? No matter what, the first thing out of your mouth should be ‘thank you.’ Honestly… ugh!”
Sheriff, leaning on his hammer, clicked his tongue while barely holding back his rising irritation. Using one of the only three serum injectors they had brought was already a huge sacrifice, but revealing equipment that displayed JL’s technological prowess in front of the operators was an act that carried tremendous risk. Sergeant First Class Kim glared at him and said.
“We just want to be sure! We can thank you a thousand times after Master Sergeant Hong fully recovers.”
“Aigoo, forget the thanks. Let’s hurry up and get these people upstairs! If we get trapped again, we’re done! And we need to move this old man somewhere else quickly. He can’t stay here with us.”
Sheriff waved his hand dismissively and helped Master Sergeant Hong to his feet. Only then did the special forces operators, who had finally regained some composure, reach out to help.
“We will escort Master Sergeant Hong—”
“You guys just take those soldiers upstairs! You have guns, don’t you?! Aww, just listen for once!”
“Fine…!”
The operators had no choice but to agree. The mission wasn’t over yet, and it was true that among everyone here, this big guy looked the strongest. With the massive Master Sergeant Hong hanging off his shoulder, the sergeant looked almost frail in comparison. Moreover… the fact that this hulking guy was sticking so close to Master Sergeant Hong without showing the slightest fear was enough to reassure them. Supporting a zombie-bitten person and walking with your heads side by side was something you could only do if you truly believed they would make a full recovery.
“You soldiers over there! Form two lines and we’ll head up the stairs! We’ll take the lead, so don’t worry about anything and just follow us! No running!”
Two special forces operators led the soldiers toward the stairs. Sheriff, Yubin, Master Sergeant Hong, and Sergeant First Class Kim took the rear and slowly followed.
“Ugh… Hoooo…! What do you mean by moving me somewhere else…? Doesn’t this just cure me? Is there… some other process left?”
Master Sergeant Hong asked in a sluggish tone while hanging off Sheriff’s shoulder. His pronunciation was getting unclear and he kept closing and opening his eyes. It seemed the real pain was beginning to kick in.
“It’s going to hurt. A lot… It’s going to hurt badly.”
After taking Master Sergeant Hong’s MP5 and removing his tactical vest, Yubin warned him in advance. According to Mingu, the only person with experience of surviving a zombie bite, he had spent several hours hovering on the boundary between life and death. The pain was so severe that just when he thought, Ah, am I dying now? he would wake up again, with memories of the past flashing before his eyes like a panorama, and then the cycle of thinking he was really dying this time would repeat endlessly…
It was apparently such excruciating pain that even that cocky man had no choice but to acknowledge it. Come to think of it, even the immune Terra had lost consciousness and collapsed, only waking up after a long time.
“Even now… it feels like my whole body’s been beaten black and blue… Nghhh…! Is this what it feels like?”
“I’ve never experienced it myself, so I can’t say for sure, but it’s probably still just the beginning. They said you won’t even be able to… speak. You need to steel yourself.”
“Haa… At that level, I should be able to endure it with a smile. Nghhh…! I was going to die, but I got a chance to live… Thank… you. I have no face left…”
Master Sergeant Hong managed to express his gratitude with great difficulty.
No, don’t feel ashamed. You are more than qualified to receive this.
Yubin answered only in his heart. If this man hadn’t helped rescue Terra together with the special forces operators and moved her to Jamsil, there would be no guarantee that this serum would even exist right now.
“The survival rate is definitely one hundred percent, right?”
Sergeant First Class Kim, who had been walking in step with them, asked worriedly.
“Yes, that’s correct. It should be.”
After Yubin nodded, Master Sergeant Hong panted heavily and slowly opened his mouth.
“That kind of… Haa…! story… Hoooo…! Where did you hear it? That it would hurt… or that it would be like this…”
“I heard it from someone who survived.”
“Sergeant Kim…”
Whether his consciousness was fading or not, instead of responding to Yubin, Master Sergeant Hong turned to Sergeant First Class Kim with eyes that were more than half white and gave an order.
“Major Cho… Haa…! has not… returned yet… Hoo, hoo…! Work with… the private outside… to ensure… his safe return… Hoo…! Help him…”
After forcing out each word in a mosquito-like voice, Master Sergeant Hong’s head suddenly dropped forward.
“Master Sergeant! Master Sergeant Hooooong!”
Sergeant First Class Kim, whose emotions had been running high, suddenly wailed in a piercing voice.
“Huh?”
The soldiers and special forces operators who had been walking ahead up the stairs stopped in surprise and turned around.
“Aww! He’s not dead! Stop overreacting! He just passed out! Look! He’s still breathing!”
Sheriff pushed Sergeant First Class Kim aside and pointed at Master Sergeant Hong’s chest. It was clearly rising and falling slightly with each breath.
“He’s going to be like this for the next several hours. So you’d better prepare yourself too, old man.”
After explaining to Sergeant First Class Kim, Sheriff handed his hammer to Yubin and lightly hoisted Master Sergeant Hong onto his back. As he supported the man’s backside with both hands and climbed the stairs, Sheriff suddenly tilted his head as if something felt off.
“Haa… But why do I keep having to carry heavy loads on my back and destroy my lower body lately? Just how much thicker are my thighs going to get…?”
First he had carried the unconscious Witch up fourteen floors, then he had hauled food, today it was a refrigerator, and now an muscular old man who weighed over eighty kilograms. Even subtracting the times he had run up and down the subway stairs with an oxygen tank and icebox, this was brutal overwork. Of course, the refrigerator had clearly been his own mistake…
“Jinwoo, what’s the situation outside?”
When they had climbed about halfway to the first basement level, Yubin pressed the transmit button on his radio and asked. Jinwoo, who had been waiting on the roof of the five-story building, answered immediately.
— Chiii—! Come on up! …No movement from the gold ones. It’s safe. Chzzt…! —
“Got it. We’ll be there soon. A bunch of soldiers are coming up too. …They said it’s okay to go up.”
Yubin made an OK sign by twirling his finger at the special forces operators waiting ahead.
Clang—!
They opened the heavy steel door whose lock had been smashed and stepped into the lobby. In the distance, near the building entrance, dozens of zombie corpses were sprawled across a wide area. The badly crumpled and bent main gate shutter was clearly this big guy’s handiwork, and all those scattered zombies must have been taken down by that private.
“Gulp—!”
The special forces operators marveled at the overwhelming power and precise skill as they led the soldiers up the stairs to the upper floors.
Arf!
Happy to be able to return to Jinwoo’s side, Samsuk-i bounded ahead, leaping joyfully and occasionally glancing back. As if to say it was safe up to here, so they could come up…
“Sheriff, wait a second.”
After two operators took the lead and escorted the soldiers upstairs, Yubin stopped Sheriff and turned to Sergeant First Class Kim.
“Once all the soldiers are on the roof, the three of you should take Master Sergeant Hong and return to the Taereung light rail station by rubber boat. We’ll hold this place for a while.”
“You need to mobilize three people for something that simple?”
When Sergeant First Class Kim asked, Yubin nodded as if it were obvious.
“Two of you will need to support him from both sides and keep watch, and one will have to operate the boat.”
“You’re not telling us to stay here, but to go back to the Taereung base?”
“There’s nothing here.”
Yubin shrugged. There were no field beds, not enough drinking water, no blankets, and no change of clothes. It wasn’t a suitable environment for a patient to spend a night fighting for his life.
“And that place will be the safest. Since he might start screaming, it’s better to lay him down somewhere comfortable and warm. As soon as you hand Master Sergeant Hong over there, get more personnel and extra ammunition before coming back. It would be even better if you could bring blankets and food. We have to survive here too. If you hurry, you should be able to make it back by the time Major Cho returns.”
Yubin gave Sergeant First Class Kim instructions in order. Sergeant First Class Kim, who had been listening quietly, dragged out his words.
“Yeah. I get what you’re saying. I get it, but…”
“But…?”
“Well, it’s just that…”
Sergeant First Class Kim blinked with an innocent expression.
“It feels like… you’re the one giving the orders…”