There Are No Bad Military Dogs

 The End Takes Place at the Table

Tell us When shall these things be?

And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

[Matthew 24:3]

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Chapter 1

 

————!

[Wave of infected creatures detected at 3 o’clock direction. Small wave, estimated around 100. Prepare to snipe! Don’t let them cross the defensive barrier!]

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The gunfire doesn’t stop. Bullets, traded at a price higher than water, pierce through the air, either embedding themselves into the bodies of the infected or whizzing past them. However, the infected, who possess human bodies but can never be called humans, feel no fear. Each of them rushes forward, mouths gaping wide to chew on human flesh.

Bang! Thaang—!

From now on, it’s a battle between bullets and the infected.

It was a dark night with the moon obscured by thick clouds. Only the muzzle flashes illuminate the world irregularly. Among the flashes of destruction, the rotting flesh of the living yet dead infected can be seen, and tears mixed with the determination that this won’t end like that are visible in the eyes of humans. Humans relentlessly fire bullets toward the swarming horde of infected from atop the precarious barricades.

Kigikigik!

Yet the infected’s advance outpaced the rate at which human ammunition was expended. Stepping over the bodies of fallen infected, with heads blown off, they climb over the barricades, and they keep coming.

[The western defense line has been breached! Bring RPG!]

Kwaang!

The effectiveness of a weapon is typically determined by how effectively it can kill opponents and how much fear it can instill in them. Originally, RPGs would have shown clear performance in all cases, but when it came to fighting the infected, the latter aspect was virtually nonexistent. After all, the infected were the dead who could not feel fear.

Dozens of infected exploded from the bomb, but the remaining ones continued to rush towards the barrier, emitting eerie cries that sent chills down the spine.

———!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The humans holding the barrier were trembling with fear, but their hands pulling the triggers didn’t stop. No, they couldn’t stop. If this place were breached, the safe zone would disappear. In this sanctuary they had barely settled in, there were beloved family and dear friends. If they retreated from here, they would die. They had to endure somehow. About half of the infected had fallen. Now, if they strategized and fought smartly, they could surely win.

“Aaaaah!”

“Die! Die, you monster bastards!”

However, the humans, consumed by fear, couldn’t make the right judgment. Their guns trembled, and the bullets flew into the air. The bullets that didn’t explode the brains of the infected fell powerless.

If things continued like this, the humans would be defeated. Many in the shelter would soon become prey for the infected, or they would become infected themselves.

Of course, I wouldn’t allow that to happen.

Bang!

A crisp gunshot rang out as an infected’s head exploded. Still keeping my eye through the scope, I held my breath, then pulled the trigger.

Bang—!

The infected, who had been baring their teeth towards the defenders, fell dead. Those who survived the chaos looked around anxiously, but I didn’t stop. Bang! Bang—! The heads of the infected attempting to breach the barrier disappeared one by one. Not a single shot was wasted.

Now, the moonlight, previously obscured by clouds, began to shine through. In the fading darkness, if you looked carefully, you could see the bodies of the infected covering the ground. I aimed my gun once again at those writhing among them. Bang! A bird in the night fluttered away.

After emptying three magazines, the surroundings finally fell silent. I exhaled the breath I had been holding and took my eyes off the scope.

[Infected eliminated. Those uninjured, proceed with the incineration of the infected bodies!]

Ah, my eyes.

I rubbed my stiffened eyes from staring for so long and stretched my sore neck. The survivors were cheering and embracing each other. It seemed they were celebrating another day of survival. Cheering and celebrating in a world like this—it’s not even funny.

“Hey, Min Ahyeon! Your skills haven’t dulled a bit, have they?”

Kim Chun-sik, the director of the Cheongna Shelter who hired me, came running over, shouting. He boasted to the injured around him that there hadn’t been a single casualty in this wave of infections, emphasizing that hiring me was the best decision he ever made.

“Well, you know me. As soon as I heard about Min Ahyeon, I thought, ‘Ah, she’s the one! If we hire her, we won’t die!’ That’s why I rushed to Seoul to negotiate and brought her back. She’s a sharpshooter, a former soldier! Where else can you find someone like her, huh?”

The director raised both thumbs up, showing his teeth as he laughed.

“Come on everyone, what are you doing? We should thank the mercenary who protected us!”

“Ah, yes! Yes! You’re right. Thank you!”

“Thank you!”

After hearing the director’s words, the people regained their composure and bowed their heads to me, expressing their gratitude. To outsiders, it might seem like a natural expression of gratitude to a benefactor of life, but not to me.

The director nudged the side of a young woman. She immediately began speaking as if she had been prepared.

“Um, so, we were thinking of moving towards the airport before it gets colder… Could you help us a little more?”

The woman clasped her hands together.

“We, we don’t have money right now, but… since you’ve helped us once already… Could you help us just one more time?”

It might seem pitiful to some, but honestly, it felt like they were coercing unpaid labor out of me. It was shamelessly bold.

Seeing my displeased expression, not only the director but everyone else came forward and knelt before me.

“If you leave, our mothers and children… won’t be able to endure this winter. It’s the same for everyone else in the shelter!”

“We’re not asking for help just for our own safety, but to protect everyone in the shelter… Could you please help us just once more?”

It’s been over 4 years since humans were no longer the top predators of this world.

Once people realized my skills, they would request that I engage in life-or-death battles for them, citing their own weaknesses as the reason. They would evoke sympathy, demand humanity… The first few times, I weakened and sided with them, but the outcome was never good. Unconsciously, I rubbed the scar on my waist and furrowed my brow.

“Director.”

I spoke to the director, who was inciting the people and cautiously looking around.

“What was our initial deal?”

The director, who had been hesitating for a moment, awkwardly smiled and spoke in a low voice.

“It was probably about blocking the wave from the infection cluster near the Cheongna Shelter, right?”

“That’s right. That was the request.”

I took out the revolver from my waist and opened the cylinder to check inside. After rotating the magazine containing six rounds and completing the loading, I closed it.

“Then why are you spouting nonsense instead of paying me as promised?”

“Ah, that, Min Ahyeon. Calm down for a bit, alright? There are circumstances behind this.”

“Director.”

I interrupted his words and raised the revolver.

“I know full well. None of the remaining people here can properly deal with the infected, and at this rate, you’ll all get wiped out before even reaching the airport shelter or whatever.”

From Cheongna to Incheon Airport was both near and far. Even if we blocked the wave from the infection cluster near the Cheongna Shelter, there would still be countless scattered infected. The path they intended to take was extremely perilous, and if things went wrong, all of us here could end up dead.

“That’s right! So we really have no choice but to request your help!”

The director shouted, seemingly thinking I understood his situation, while trying to ignore the gun pointed at him.

“If you help us just this once, we won’t forget your kindness…!”

“If that was the case, you should have willingly listened to the Seoul Branch’s advice.”

“Oh, no. Let’s not talk about that!”

The director hurriedly tried to silence me, but I didn’t let him and raised my voice. From the moment you tried to break the deal, you’ve been out of luck.

“Did everyone know that the Seoul branch offered to let you into their shelter?”

Seoul, one of the few places in the fallen Republic of Korea maintaining a semblance of a “city”, rarely accepts refugees. However, in their case, although they lacked combat power, there were doctors and technicians among them, so they were willing to accept them. The one who refused that offer was none other than the director.

“You instigated the refugees to come here en masse just so you wouldn’t lose your director’s position, and now you’re talking about people’s lives?”

“….What?”

The people looked back and forth between the director and me in a daze, before starting to murmur.

“Director? Is that true?”

“Didn’t you say the Seoul branch rejected us?”

“Director!”

“Why did you lie…?!”

The director’s face turned pale. Even in a world on the brink of collapse, he was a pitiful and pathetic human being, clinging to his badge of authority and turning a blind eye to the infected outside. It was sickening and infuriating.

I said to the noisy, bewildered crowd.

“You all figure out the fighting among yourselves.”

Now, they will contact the Seoul branch to receive safe transportation. So I no longer needed to protect them and could leave them immediately. Part of me wanted to get away from here right now—I was fed up and irritated to the point of nausea.

I lowered the revolver’s hammer. Click, a round was chambered.

“The money.”

Then, I brought the muzzle right up to the director’s forehead.

“Hand it over.”

I’ll take what I’m owed and leave. Damn it. Trying to take advantage of me.

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Thank you for reading! ♡