Chapter 101
Shin Hae-jun was on his way to Shelter 2 with Seo Yoo-jin.
Shelter 2 was located relatively inland and adjacent to a bustling area with well-maintained roads. Since it housed more younger refugees compared to Shelters 1 and 3, it would likely be easier to gather information there.
As they walked and scanned their surroundings for any nearby infected, Seo Yoo-jin surreptitiously observed Shin Hae-jun’s demeanor.
In fact, she had never seen a horde of infected from such a close distance before. Following General Shin’s orders during the initial outbreak, she handled miscellaneous tasks under him. No matter how chaotic things were outside, her location remained safe, so she never felt a sense of danger. Having no friends or family, she had no one to worry about. In other words, Seo Yoo-jin had only experienced the infected situation indirectly, not directly witnessing them.
Today was the first time she had encountered an actual infected horde, which was why she hadn’t reacted properly. The infected she had only seen in photographs looked far more disgusting and terrifyingly repulsive in reality.
However, Seo Yoo-jin knew all these circumstances and words were just excuses. Shin Hae-jun was justified in reprimanding her. So she resolved to never make such a mistake again, which was why she was keenly observing Shin Hae-jun while staying alert to her surroundings.
“Lieutenant Seo.”
At that moment, Shin Hae-jun addressed her. Regaining full focus, she hurriedly responded and moved closer to his side.
“Yes, General. What is it?”
“About Lieutenant Min.”
She was about to say it would be better not to use ranks since Min Ahyeon wasn’t a soldier anymore, but she closed her mouth. Shin Hae-jun’s current mood didn’t seem too good.
“Yes, please go on.”
“Why does she live like that?”
“…Pardon?”
Seo Yoo-jin thought she might have misheard. What was the current situation? Weren’t they tensely treading a path where infected could be lurking in order to gather information about the inexplicably devastated Taean shelter? And suddenly, he wanted to discuss Min Ahyeon’s way of life? Seo Yoo-jin looked back at Shin Hae-jun with a slightly bewildered expression, but he didn’t seem to care much.
“Why does she live like that? You know the situation has taken an abnormal turn, right? Even so, why does she insist on going to the most dangerous place, when she’s just a mere mercenary?”
Fuck, really. Shini Shin Hae-jun cursed while ruffling his hair.
—Then we’ll go inside the shelter.
At that moment, Min Ahyeon didn’t hesitate one bit, nor did she show any sign of wavering. She seemed to just have the thought that it had to be done.
“She could pretend not to know and take the easy path, but she doesn’t.”
Even though she could pass the responsibility on to others.
Come to think of it, Min Ahyeon was always like that. Rushing headfirst into dangerous places others avoided, stubbornly insisting on doing ‘the right thing.’
“That part pisses me off.”
Instead of brushing it off as her being different from me, she kept nagging at my mind. Like a fishbone stuck in my throat, making it feel scratchy. But maybe there’s no bone actually lodged there. It just feels that way.
In any case, Seo Yoo-jin had to respond to Shin Hae-jun, so she shrugged her shoulders and replied.
“Some people are just born with a rebellious nature.”
“I see.”
“Those kinds of people usually don’t fit well in the military.”
Shin Hae-jun’s intermittent gaze landed on Seo Yoo-jin.
“I suppose. So is that why you fought with her?”
“……”
“That incident got Lieutenant Min demoted, while you got my father’s favor and promoted. Didn’t they say you’re getting another diamond next month?”
It was true. Thanks to being wrapped up in the incident at the time, Seo Yoo-jin caught the attention of the military brass, and her path upwards became smooth after that. In contrast, Min Ahyeon was treated like a dog in the rural areas far from headquarters.
Knowing how much Min Ahyeon must have suffered at the time, Seo Yoo-jin hesitated slightly. Shin Hae-jun then let out a laugh.
“I’m not criticizing. I’m actually praising you. I prefer kids like you who have lived life like me. Makes things easier for me.”
For some reason, it felt like an insult. What did he mean by ‘kids like you’? Seo Yoo-jin’s anger flared up momentarily, and her mouth opened halfway.
“I….!”
“Shh.”
But she couldn’t finish her words. Shin Hae-jun covered her mouth with his hand. He hid their bodies in the bushes while holding Seo Yoo-jin’s mouth shut, and they held their breath. Right then, a few infected passed by them.
“Phew!”
After the infected moved past, Seo Yoo-jin exhaled deeply, tightly gripping her trembling hands and gulping. She then slapped her own cheeks a few times, as if to regain her senses and avoid repeating her earlier mistake. She scanned their surroundings, tracing any signs of the infected.
“The infected are heading toward the shelter… Shouldn’t we stop them?”
If they proceed, the infected will reach the shelter. The unaware refugees would be completely defenseless. Seo Yoo-jin tugged on Shin H-jun’s sleeve as he looked back in the direction the infected had come from.
“General. It seems we should go right now…”
“Don’t you see that? What’s wrong with your eyes?”
Shin Hae-jun pointed at a spot on the ground.
“It’s wet.”
There were puddles that weren’t there before. Come to think of it, the infected did seem drenched. No, then that means…
“Those bastards came up from the sea.”
Min Ahyeon.
She was in danger.
🕂
“Oh Habin!”
Crash! The crashing waves engulfed Oh Habin, and a hand suddenly grabbed his ankle.
———!
It wasn’t just one infected. The infected that had been lying in wait under the sea immediately swarmed out all at once when they spotted the tasty prey that was Oh Habin. Their number was around thirty at a rough estimate.
“Ugh, ah, aaahh!”
Bang! Bang! Bang! Oh Habin fired his gun indiscriminately, which unfortunately was not a good choice. There were still infected yet to surface, and the gunshots alerted them to start crawling out towards the noise.
“What are you doing, you idiot! Get up!”
I lifted the fallen bicycle and started running, reaching out when I got close to Oh Habin. But due to his weight, the bicycle tilted. An infected that had clung all the way to the saddle stretched out its arms, fixing its rotten eye sockets on me. Shit, it really looks disgusting up close. I aimed my suppressed gun at that infected. Bang! Ignoring it as it fell back and rolled around, I gripped Oh Habin’s hand tighter.
“Get up! You’re heavy!”
At my shout, Oh Habin reflexively lifted himself, crashing his knees and face into the sandy beach repeatedly, but he didn’t give up and eventually managed to get on the bicycle.
“Huck, haah, what, what is that? Insane.”
“Shut up and hold on tight.”
Carrying Oh Habin’s massive bulk on the backseat while pedaling was extremely difficult, but I was confident in my stamina, so I didn’t look back and just pedaled hard.
“Aaahh! Lieutenant, side, side!”
“Shit.”
Kwaguang! I turned the handlebars to avoid an infected charging from the side, but unfortunately, this was a bicycle, not a motorcycle. Chwaak—! We tumbled straight to the ground, completely wrecking the bicycle. A sharp pain shot through my shoulder. Probably dislocated. My limited mobility in my right hand was a major handicap for a sharpshooter like me.
So then… could we run to escape? I panted while wiping the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand.
The number of infected had already surpassed thirty. Around fifty at a rough estimate. Enough to be considered a small wave.
So that’s why Shelter 1 ended up like that—because of these bastards coming up from the sea. The shelter didn’t have any defenses set up on the seaside. Then, the remaining Shelters 2 and 3 must be in the same situation.
“Lieu, Lieutenant. I think we’re surrounded.”
True to his words, we were in a dire situation, with infected milling about on both sides as well as in front of us. That wasn’t all—more infected were charging from behind too. If we stayed put, we’d lose any chance to escape. Having quickly assessed the situation, I tugged on Oh Habin’s sleeve.
“Hey, Oh Habin. There’s only one way. Just one.”
“A way we can survive?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded and said,
“Do you trust me?”
“No!”
Oh Habin shook his head as if he had been waiting for me to ask. This guy, really.
“Even if you don’t trust me, trust me now. Trust me and move.”
“Uh, how?”
I looked around again. Fortunately, the infected were getting tangled up from pushing and tripping over each other, buying us a bit of time for one person to escape.
“Leave me behind.”
“…What?”
I won’t turn into one of them if I get bitten. I was worried about what would happen after being bitten, but I could endure that somehow, whether by enduring it until I passed out with my face submerged in water or enduring it until then. I pushed Oh Habin firmly.
“I’ll be the bait, so take the chance to escape. Go and bring General.”
“No, what are you talking about!”
Ignoring Oh Habin’s protest, I raised my arm, which didn’t move well, and aimed the gun at the infected creatures. Bang! It veered slightly off, but still, one of the infected creature’s heads exploded.
———!
The infected creatures rushed towards me because of the noise I made.
“Oh Habin! Quickly, go and call for help!”
I started sprinting to lure the infected creatures. But there were too many of them. In an instant, an infected creature lunged towards me, and I closed my eyes tightly. I anticipated my flesh being torn.
However, I didn’t feel any pain. Why? When I opened my eyes, I saw Oh Habin’s face, holding me tightly.
“Hey, you crazy bastard!”
I saw the gleaming eyes of the infected biting Oh Habin’s shoulder.
🕂
Thank you for reading! ♡
