Chapter 6
When I came out of the church, Jun was running to Yongcheol, wailing loudly…. Even though I was the one who saved him.
“Hic, huengh! Huengh! S-Sorry, I’m so sorry! Really sorry!”
Jun clung to Yongcheol’s leg, tears streaming down.
“I was wrong. I had no choice because the uncles told me to. So, please, please spare me?”
“Jun-ah.”
“I, I won’t do it again, okay? So can you not take my little sister? She can’t even speak! She’ll die without me! Please don’t!”
He then crumpled to the floor, curling up and sobbing inconsolably. Seeing our bewilderment, he got on his knees and started begging.
“Please, please. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry… Please spare us…”
Even from this brief glimpse, I could imagine how much hardship these two children had endured. My head ached involuntarily. Yongcheol, too, was in tears.
I gently cupped Jun’s forehead in my palm, then lifted him up.
“Jun-ah.”
“Y-yes! I-I’m s-sorry…”
“This sister is hungry. If you’re not going to eat this now, give it to this sister.”
“…Yes?”
Puzzled by my words, Jun looked down at his chest before pointing at the half-eaten chocolate bar in his pocket.
“Th-This?”
“Yeah, that. You’ll get better food than that by coming with me anyway. So give it to me.”
Jun hesitated for a moment, then handed me the chocolate bar. I chuckled as I took a bite of the melted and frozen chocolate bar, then froze. Finally, a hint of color returned to Jun’s face.
“You’re…you’re sparing us?”
“I’ll spare you. Let you live properly, more or less.”
“R-Really? You’re not sending us…somewhere else…?”
Seeing Junie’s anxiety, Yongcheol took something out of his pocket—a Seoul shelter residency card.
“Don’t worry about that. Even though like this, this Uncle still occupies a spot in the Seoul shelter! So you can trust me, okay?”
As Yongcheol reassured him, being somewhat of a small-time player himself in terms of information, it was no trouble for him to get Jun and Yeon, young children like them, admitted to the shelter.
“Ha, haha…..”
After checking the residency card and glancing between Yongcheol and me, Jun let out an empty, un-childlike laugh.
“Yeon-ah…we don’t have to die. It’s okay. They’ll help us.”
Jun made gestures in front of Yeon, a sign language from what I could tell, though I didn’t know it well. Seeming to understand, Yeon immediately stopped crying, looked up brightly, and smiled at me. Then, with her left hand in a fist, she circled it with her right. Ah yeah, I love you too.
‘Well, I am pissed that these brats deceived me.’
But I couldn’t interrogate them. They were coerced by the looters. And I also don’t want to question these children.
‘I hope they live well.’
Watching Jun and Yeon crying and laughing in Yongcheol’s arms, I thought about my brother. When he was around their age, we got separated….
The reason I showed kindness to these children, amidst my busy life, was simple.
My little brother may have survived thanks to an adult’s kindness too.
So.
I stuffed the remaining chocolate bar into my mouth.
It was incredibly sweet.
🕂
“Can we head down the mountain now?”
Yongcheol asked, cradling the puffy-eyed Jun and sleeping Yeon, worn out from crying, in each arm. His question implied concern about safely reaching the car before the infected started roaming at night. I shrugged.
“We should make it possible. We might encounter other looters if we stay here.”
“How? Can we really do it?”
Instead of answering, I attached the suppressor. It doesn’t completely silence the gun, but it’s better than nothing.
“I’ll follow along and protect you, so don’t worry and go down as quietly as possible.”
“Min Ah, you…”
In case any sound attracted them, I took off my shoes, tied the laces together, and slung them over my shoulder. Checking the partially depleted magazine, I reloaded.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going?”
At my words, Yongcheol hesitated while hugging the kids tightly, but soon gave a wry smile and nodded.
“You’re one badass woman.”
Just stating the obvious.
I answered Yongcheol’s compliment with another shrug. Then I looked up at the pitch-black night sky.
The nighttime mountain is the perfect veil for the infected. The dark trees conceal their presence, and the faint moonlight casts no shadows. The world now belongs to the night—in other words, all the infected are lurking under cover of darkness, stalking their prey.
The raspy, gurgling sound came from somewhere, making the hairs on my neck stand up.
This mountain doesn’t have too many infected or established hordes, so it’s not an extremely dangerous area—maybe a D-level threat by military standards. But I can’t let my guard down. I don’t know the total number of infected hiding here, and especially at night, I expect many will be hypersensitive, charging at the slightest noise.
I gripped my gun tighter.
Infected attacks are unpredictable.
With only the primal urge to tear into human flesh remaining, they feel no physical pain. Even if their arms were severed, their bellies pierced, or their legs torn off, they would still charge at humans with their mouths gaping wide. Not feeling pain meant not feeling muscle tears. Plus, they possess far superior physical abilities, running at speeds double that of an average human’s sprint. An unarmed person stands no chance against them.
But against an armed human, it’s a different story. Especially if that human is a skilled marksman like me.
‘Because all I have to do is blow their heads off from afar.’
So let’s not be nervous. There’s no place for mistakes or misfires in my dictionary. After all I’ve been through, facing a few infected or looters here and there is nothing.
Crunch.
Yongcheol descended the mountain slowly, avoiding making any noise by dodging leaves and branches, with Jun and Yeon in his arms. Following behind him, I calmly listened for any sounds in the surroundings. The raspy wheezing of the infected echoed sporadically, drilling into my brain. I clenched my fist tightly.
That’s when it happened.
Bang!
Gunshots without suppressors were heard from somewhere. Bang! Bang! Bang! The consecutive gunfire briefly quieted down, but it was only momentary. Rat-a-tat-tat! The sound of automatic rifles began to disrupt the once-silent mountain.
“Hey, hey. What’s going on? Who else is here? More looters?”
Yongcheol asked in great confusion, but I shook my head.
“If they were looters, they wouldn’t be firing wildly like this. They’d know their lives are at stake too.”
“Then? Who’s fighting right now?”
“What am I, God? I’m here too, how do I know?”
Rat-a-tat-tat! The gunfire didn’t let up even as Yongcheol and I spoke. There should have been moments of reloading, but the sound was constant.
Yet it didn’t seem like two people were taking turns fighting either. Pulling the trigger varies subtly depending on individual habits, so by listening to the gunfire and analyzing the sound, you can estimate how many people are holding guns. From what I heard, there was only one person firing.
Even if there weren’t many infected in this mountain, it wouldn’t be feasible for one person to handle them all. Especially not so blatantly, making noises like this. Moreover, this is the most favorable time for the infected.
Hmm.
The fighting style seemed vaguely familiar, but I quickly shook my head. No way. Muttering to myself, I addressed Yongcheol again.
“It worked out for us for now. Thanks to whoever drew the infected over there, it seems all the ones on our side have been driven away.”
“Yeah, but isn’t that person in danger?”
Yongcheol seemed to suggest going to help. I chuckled dryly.
“Yongcheol. When did I say I’d help humans besides children?”
“…In a commissioned situation.”
“Exactly. I’m not a charity worker, I’m a mercenary. No pay, I don’t move. So quit the chatter and let’s go.”
Yongcheol seemed like he had more to say, but he clenched his lips and hastened his steps. Rat-a-tat-tat! Ignoring the continuous gunfire, we quickened our pace, and by the time the gunfire subsided and it became somewhat quiet, we safely reached the car.
We didn’t encounter any infected on the way back. It seemed like some unknown person had rounded up and dealt with all the infected. I felt grateful. If he was still alive, I’d thank him, but I couldn’t be sure, so I silently prayed in my heart. May he go to a better place.
“Oh, oh! My Jeep! It’s safe! It wasn’t looted!”
Circling the undamaged vehicle, Yongcheol choked back tears of relief. I couldn’t help but laugh wryly.
“You worried about it being looted after setting up the electric mesh? Touch it and you’d get electrocuted.”
“Still, it’s natural to worry! Whew, what a relief. Now to put the kids in the back and…”
Yongcheol was chattering excitedly as he went to open the rear door, but suddenly he froze in place. His expression became stiff, holding his breath. I had slung my rifle behind me, but getting an odd feeling, I quickly brought it forward again and slowly approached the car.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
Yongcheol doesn’t respond. He just rolls his eyes towards the passenger seat.
I aim my gun at the passenger seat and kick the car door with my foot. Bang! The door shakes slightly with the sound. Shortly after, with a click, the door opens, revealing someone who was leisurely lying back in the seat.
“Ah, shit.”
I curse under my breath as I lower my gun, but the man sitting in the passenger seat doesn’t seem phased at all.
He looks at me and smiles warmly.
Dressed in an impeccably clean military uniform without a wrinkle, he looks just as neat as he did a few years ago. He still has the same large frame that fills up the passenger seat of the Jeep.
Stretching his long legs out of the Jeep, he takes off his leather gloves and extends his hand toward me with his signature mischievous grin.
“Min Ahyeon.”
Name: Shin Hae-jun.
Characteristic: A dog will execute any command from the military without hesitation. a.k.a. “Military Dog.”
For the record, I absolutely despise this bastard.
🕂
Thank you for reading! ♡
