RE: Survival - Chapter 10

*Woof! Woof!*

The sharp sound of barking echoed throughout the mart.

The zombies, which had been aimlessly wandering with their rotten eyes, began converging toward the source of the noise. As they moved to both ends of the hall, an open path formed, as if the sea had parted.

The effect was remarkable.

With the batteries fully charged, the dog toys would continue to lure the zombies for quite some time.

“Let’s move.”

Yohan advanced with measured steps, not too fast and not too slow, ensuring his footsteps were silent. The group followed close behind, their faces set with grim determination.

*Screeeech!*

A zombie that had been chasing one of the barking toys spotted the group and let out a chilling howl, veering in their direction. The sudden sound of the zombie’s approach caused heads to turn instinctively.

With a swift movement, Yohan crushed the zombie’s skull.

“Don’t look away.”

How did this guy have eyes in the back of his head? The others quickly snapped their heads back to their assigned directions, their faces stiff with shock.

“If you see more than two zombies in your sector, signal immediately. Jung-hwan, you’re drifting too close to Seri. Maintain the correct distance—not too close, not too far.”

The group advanced steadily. Even when zombies approached, their pace neither sped up nor slowed down. From a distance, more undead began gathering. Whenever Yohan saw more than two zombies clustering together, he shot them down with precise arrows to prevent them from forming a horde.

“Two on the left!”

It was Old Man Park’s voice. Yohan spun, aiming his crossbow. Two zombies were aligned in a row, but Park’s head blocked Yohan’s shot.

“Duck!”

But Park, busy holding off the zombies with his left arm, didn’t hear him.

Yohan bit his lip. If he left his position, the front would be exposed, and a zombie could jump out at any moment. But letting one side collapse would be even more dangerous.

Just then, Park jabbed the butcher knife he held in his right hand into the heart of one zombie. The sharp blade pierced through and lodged into the chest of the zombie behind it. Both zombies flailed briefly before going still.

Using one hand, it would’ve been impossible to stab two zombies, but Park’s ingenuity had pulled it off.

“Well done.”

“Phew… That was tough,” Park muttered, catching his breath as Yohan gave him a thumbs-up and continued forward.

Ahead, a larger group of zombies appeared. There were too many to fight head-on.

The fork in the path was fifty meters away—there was no turning back. Yohan quickly swung his backpack around, pulled out a phone from a side pocket, and blasted music through the speakers, throwing the phone to lure the zombies away.

The zombies turned toward the music, their dead eyes fixating on the sound.

The group pressed on, but despite the distraction, more zombies kept coming. By the time they reached the fork, exhausted breaths echoed from all around.

“Yohan, maybe we should stop and thin them out here. Pushing forward might be too dangerous,” Gun suggested from the rear.

“No. Too many zombies are still entering the building. If you want to play ‘zombie blood’ forever, that’s a good plan.”

“Damn it, guess not.”

The real issue wasn’t just physical exhaustion—it was the mental fatigue caused by constant tension. Knowing that a single mistake could mean death had tensed up everyone’s muscles, draining their stamina even faster.

“What’s ‘zombie blood’ anyway?” Seri asked.

“It’s a user-created map.”

“A what?”

Yohan’s response was nonchalant, leaving Seri confused as she tilted her head.

“This is where we split. Remember—don’t panic, but don’t get complacent either. Stay calm, and no one will die.”

The group nodded as Yohan resumed his steady pace.

From this point, they needed to move faster. The entrance teeming with zombies was just ahead.

Yohan stabbed a zombie’s brain and kicked it aside in one fluid motion. He skipped the steps of securing the zombie with his armored arm and stepping back for safety, focusing purely on speed.

As Yohan picked up the pace, the rest of the group followed suit.

Things were looking good.

“Six zombies in the rear!”

*Damn it,* Yohan swore under his breath. Just as things seemed to be going smoothly, trouble struck. To make matters worse, three more zombies were coming from the front.

A cold, familiar shiver ran through Yohan’s body.

It was a danger signal—his body’s instinctual response to life-threatening situations, honed through countless near-death experiences both before and after his return.

Jung-hwan tried to hold back the six zombies, but their combined weight was too much. It was only a matter of time before he collapsed under the pressure.

“Get down!”

As soon as Yohan shouted, Jung-hwan scrambled backward, falling flat on his rear.

In the same instant, Yohan drew his revolver from his pocket, cocked the hammer, and fired at the zombie lunging toward Jung-hwan.

*Bang!* The sound of the shot echoed painfully in his ears.

Six shots rang out in rapid succession, followed by the click of an empty chamber. Five zombies fell; one shot had missed its mark.

Yohan immediately threw a small knife from his waist, embedding it precisely 20 centimeters deep into the forehead of the last zombie.

Without pausing, Yohan turned and fired an arrow into the temple of an approaching zombie. He then used his crossbow to knock down another undead directly behind it.

All of this happened within mere seconds.

“Move forward. Retrieve the knife,” Yohan ordered.

“That… That was insane,” Seri murmured, her mouth agape.

“Less talking, more watching your flank,” Yohan retorted, wetting his dry lips with a quick swipe of his tongue.

From that point on, zombies only approached one or two at a time. Dispatching them one by one, the group pushed forward until the entrance came into view.

“Jung-hwan, the door.”

At Yohan’s call, Jung-hwan moved up. Seri and Old Man Park shifted slightly to cover the southeast and southwest corners, respectively—just as they had rehearsed.

Yohan stepped outside first, making space for Jung-hwan to close the door.

*Thud!*

Yohan raised his left arm, using it to push against the chest of a zombie. The creature snapped its jaws loudly, its teeth gnashing together.

Yohan clenched his teeth, muscles straining as veins bulged from his forehead, his eyes bloodshot with effort.

“Hup!”

With a mighty shove, he pushed the zombie backward, forcing it—and the undead piling up behind it—out through the door. A cascade of zombies tumbled outside like a wave crashing through a narrow channel.

As he stepped back, Yohan swung his crossbow like a club, smashing another zombie across the head. The creature collapsed with a sound like a pig being slaughtered.

“Close it!”

In that fleeting moment, Jung-hwan leapt forward and slammed the glass door shut.

Meanwhile, behind them, Seri and Old Man Park were grappling with two zombies. As one of the creatures lunged at Seri, Yohan stepped in, slicing through its wrist in a clean motion.

“Thanks…”

“Hang in there. We’re almost done.”

“Hyung! The door’s locked!”

Jung-hwan’s triumphant shout caught Yohan’s attention. Through the glass, zombies pressed against the door, clawing to get in. Jung-hwan carefully latched the interior doors as well, ensuring they were fully secured.

“Good job. You really are a door-closing specialist. I’ll give you a title—‘The Closer’ or maybe ‘Shutter Man.’”

“You’re seriously joking right now?”

“I’m not joking.”

Yohan turned to check on the other team. They faced a similar horde of zombies at their door.

‘Will they be okay?’ The thought flashed through Yohan’s mind, but he shook it off.

Gun and Hyuk were skilled survivors. Thanks to the barking toys and ringing phones, the zombies approaching their position were scattered. They should be able to handle it.

Yohan forced his worries aside. He had to trust them.

He slung his crossbow onto his back.

“Let’s head to The Face Shop.”

Meanwhile, Team 2 was struggling, though not dangerously so.

They had the gunshots to thank for that—most of the zombies were drawn to the noise coming from Team 1’s direction.

However, Gun was running on fumes. The real problem was Min-seo. Each time she encountered a zombie, she only managed to push it away instead of finishing it off, forcing Gun to keep covering her side as well.

Going back and forth between covering the left and rear was exhausting. His breath came in ragged gasps, and it felt like his lungs were on fire.

Despite the struggle, they finally reached the door. As Hyuk provided cover, Gun hurriedly grabbed the door handle.

*Screeeech!*

A zombie’s hand wedged itself into the gap, preventing the door from closing. Gun stabbed at the hand with his knife, but more undead hands soon joined it, prying the door open wider.

“Hyung! Hurry!”

“Hold on… I’m trying!”

With one hand on the door handle, Gun frantically stabbed at the invading hands with the other. But the more he fought, the further the door crept open.

Then, a zombie’s hand shot out and grabbed Gun’s right wrist. He recoiled in horror, instinctively jerking his hand free—but in doing so, the knife slipped from his grasp.

“Hyung!”

“Damn it!”

Gun cursed, gripping the door handle with both hands and pulling with all his strength.

“Arghhh!”

With a sickening crunch, the zombies’ fingers and wrists were crushed in the doorframe. Blood oozed through the gaps in the door.

Panting, Gun removed his gloves and turned the lock at the bottom of the door. As he prepared to put his gloves back on, he hesitated briefly before slipping them on again.

“Ahhh!”

Gun snatched his fallen knife from the floor and charged the zombies his teammates were fighting. He stabbed four zombies in quick succession before helping Min-seo, who had collapsed on the ground, to her feet.

“Let’s go.”

—

Team 1 reached The Face Shop first and began to stabilize. The three members took turns dispatching zombies at the narrow entrance, while Yohan kept watch from a high display shelf on the opposite side of the store.

“Yohan!”

“They’re coming. Everyone, move out and provide cover.”

At Yohan’s command, Team 1 rushed out to push back the zombies.

As Team 2 came within crossbow range, Yohan provided cover fire, allowing them to join without issue.

With Yohan bringing up the rear, the entire group finally regrouped at the store. Yohan closed the shop’s door behind them and did a quick check for injuries.

“Any injuries?”

“…None,” Gun reported.

The tension broke as smiles spread across the group. They had made it through the horde without any casualties or infections.

Though the cleanup was only just beginning, Yohan chose not to dampen the mood. What the group needed now was to savor their victory.

“Well done. Now it’s time for us to hunt.”

“Wait, Yohan—I need to tell you something,” Gun called out.

Yohan turned, only to see Gun removing his gloves.

His hands were soaked in blood.

Yohan’s expression darkened, his stomach sinking.

‘No… no way.’

Yohan quickly pulled a bottle of water and a clean cloth from his backpack. He carefully wiped Gun’s arm.

There it was—a deep scratch across his wrist.

A cold chill spread through the group, as if ice water had been poured over them.

“Hyung!” Hyuk’s voice cracked in a desperate cry.

“You idiot…”

“Hyung! No!”

“Sorry…”

“Hyung!!”

“Shut up, Hyuk. You’re making my ears bleed.”

Yohan rummaged through the store and found a blanket. He grabbed more wet wipes from his backpack and gently cleaned Gun’s arm. Then he laid Gun down on the blanket, placing the backpack under his head like a pillow.

“Open your mouth.”

“What are you—”

Before Gun could finish his sentence, Yohan shoved a cloth into his mouth.