RE: Survival - Chapter 11

“Seri, Min-seo, and Elderly Park, keep watch at the entrance. If the glass looks like it’s going to break, open it and fight. Hyung Byung-jin, Jung-hwan, hold Gun down.”

“Mm, mm?”

“Bite down hard. You might die from this anyway, but it’s better than just waiting for death.”

Yohan drew a kukri machete from his thigh. It wasn’t the best tool for cutting bone. Something like a composite steel knife or a proper butcher’s cleaver would have been ideal.

There was no other option.

This was the only clean blade he had that wasn’t contaminated with zombie blood.

He pulled out a lighter and sterilized the knife again. His hands, moving frantically, trembled. Time was running short. Amid this, Kang Hyuk’s agonized cries grated on him.

“Hyuk, stop crying and shoving yourself in the corner. Put a fist in your mouth if you have to.”

Yohan ignored Hyuk’s suffering, checking where to make the cut and tightly bound Gun’s upper arm with rope.

Choosing where to cut was also tricky. He couldn’t be sure how far the infection had spread, and he would have preferred to sever the arm completely.

But to minimize the loss of fighting ability if Gun survived, he had to leave the elbow intact.

He decided to cut about a half-hand’s length below the elbow.

‘You idiot. I came all the way here for you, and you’re just going to die like this?’

A hopeless fool. If you die here, I’ll abandon your brother and the group without hesitation.

Yohan forced himself to think harshly to steady his nerves.

He clenched and unclenched his hand multiple times from tension. He had done this before, but it never got any easier. If only there was anesthesia.

A hesitant hand is poison to the patient. He had to sever through the bone in one clean strike. If he hesitated, Gun could die from shock before the infection even spread.

Yohan raised his hand in the air. The two men holding Gun shut their eyes tightly. He brought it down swiftly.

Thud! With a flash of reflected light, Yohan’s kukri sliced through Gun’s arm and embedded in the floor.

“Ugh!”

A stifled scream erupted as Gun’s body thrashed. Bright red blood splattered across Yohan’s face. The cut was clean, even Yohan found it hard to believe.

The onlookers were all struck with expressions of shock and horror. Kang Hyuk looked as if it were his own hand that had been severed.

Gun seemed to fall unconscious from shock. Yohan quickly wrapped the severed arm in cloth and raised it slightly above heart level.

“Will he survive like this?”

“If he’s lucky.”

Jung-hwan’s question received a barely audible response from Yohan. Both Jung-hwan and Byung-jin looked on the verge of tears.

“If the infection has already progressed, he’ll die. Even if not, he might die from shock or bleed out. Nine out of ten cases, they die.”

Their faces turned pale at his words. Nine out of ten—a generous figure.

But the real issue wasn’t shock, bacteria, or blood loss. Most survivors believed they could avoid infection as long as they weren’t bitten or scratched by zombies, but that was a misconception.

If infection through blood were the only way, how did the first infected person appear?

Yohan had identified another terrifying path for the infection. He recalled the second rule he set for survival.

Second survival rule: Always disinfect and seal wounds.

Infection could proceed through open wounds exposed to the air. It didn’t matter if the wound wasn’t zombie-inflicted.

Prolonged exposure of a wound to the air put the patient at risk. This was known as “airborne exposure infection.”

The terrifying thing about this type of infection was its randomness once a wound was exposed. Even a small cut could become fatal if left untreated. Any wound had to be disinfected with alcohol and sealed immediately.

On the other hand, even those with large, supposedly fatal injuries sometimes survived against all odds.

This hopeful outlook, however, often led to chaos within groups. Survivors assured by small wounds would turn into zombies within the group and attack friends or family, while others, terrified by larger wounds, would kill preemptively, leading to violence.

Although the exact probability of “airborne exposure infection” wasn’t defined, experience suggested it occurred roughly one in ten cases. Out of ten wounded, one would inevitably become infected.

10%.

A number carrying enough uncertainty and anxiety to destabilize a group.

This was why fights between humans were so dangerous. Large battles meant numerous injuries, and prolonged fighting would eventually lead to infection outbreaks on both sides.

It became a war with only losers.

Yohan looked down at Gun.

‘If you die here, that’s your role. Or maybe the fate I altered by saving Hyuk has come back to claim you.’

“Hyung, the bleeding isn’t stopping. Should we cauterize it?”

“Do you want to kill him for real? Just keep pressing on it, and give him this when he wakes.”

Yohan handed over antibiotics.

“How much should he take?”

“How would I know? Am I a doctor? Just keep giving it to him until he throws up. Elder, do you know if there’s a doctor or nurse among us?”

“No, not that I know of.”

“What about a medical room?”

While the elder pondered, Seri spoke up.

“There’s one in the customer service center.”

“Good. Let’s move. Hyuk, carry your brother.”

They needed to sterilize and transfuse blood. Coagulants were crucial too.

“We’re heading back underground. Min-seo, keep pressing on Gun’s arm. I’m in the lead. Hyuk and Min-seo, stay close. Seri, cover the right, Elder on the left, Jung-hwan and Byung-jin at the rear. Don’t fall behind.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Their replies were feeble.

Yohan nonchalantly pushed the door open and took down the zombie directly in front. The others followed.

Returning was steady, like veterans of a prior hellish experience. Fewer zombies also helped.

Yohan soon reached the emergency exit leading to the basement and turned the handle.

The door didn’t budge despite a click.

Locked.

“It’s locked.”

“What?”

Yohan knocked, but there was silence from inside. Had an outbreak occurred inside? Pressing his ear against the door, he heard faint murmurs.

“Someone’s locked the door from inside.”

“What? Damn idiots! Open the door!”

Hyuk’s voice was raw with fury.

“What the hell is this? Open up, you bastards!”

“Calm down. You’re shaking Gun. People, if you don’t open this door, we’re breaking it down.”

A voice came from beyond the door.

“Is there an infected person or zombies near you?”

“Open this door now!”

“There aren’t any. Open up.”

The door stayed shut. Yohan’s patience frayed—every second counted.

“If I count to three and this door isn’t open, we’re breaking it down, and you better brace yourselves. One.”

A moment of silence, then the door clicked open. People cowered beyond it, their noses wrinkling at the scent of blood.

Faces filled with terror as they saw the group, drenched in dark crimson.

Bang! Byung-jin shut the door firmly behind him. Yohan fixed his eyes on a man in front. He seemed to have been the one who locked the door. Hyuk looked ready to attack, but Yohan raised a hand to stop him. Gun’s treatment took precedence. Hyuk spat in frustration and followed Seri to the infirmary.

“Was it you who locked the door?”

“…”

“So it was.”

As if triggered, Byung-jin lunged and struck the man’s jaw, dropping him to the floor.

“I had no choice…”

“If there had been zombies, we’d all be dead because of you!”

Byung-jin’s outcry was followed by Yohan’s measured response.

“Let him be. In that situation, locking the door was the right call.”

“What?”

Byung-jin looked incredulous.

“With few combat-capable people inside and infected swarming outside, letting an infected person in would’ve been disastrous. Locking the door and assessing the risk was wise.”

The man, emboldened, lifted his chin. Yohan leaned in, grasped his hair, and twisted his head to the side. His voice turned icy.

“Personally, you deserve a beating, but it was a commendable decision overall. Your name?”

“S-Seo-jun.”

“I’ll remember it. You should remember this too: when you hear my voice, open the door immediately. Next time you delay…”

His tone darkened to a growl.

“I’ll rip you apart and feed you to the zombies.”

Yohan released Seo-jun, who collapsed in a heap.

Yohan turned to the infirmary.

Unfortunately, it held no medical equipment, only basic supplies one could find at a convenience store. The silver lining was the presence of disinfecting alcohol. As Yohan lifted the alcohol container, Elder Park grabbed his wrist.

The elder rummaged through a drawer, finding sterilized cotton to carefully clean the wound.

“You’re quite skilled.”

“Living this long, you learn a few things. Gun isn’t waking up; force-feed him antibiotics. Would you crack open a capsule?”

“Yes, Elder.”

Yohan poured out antibiotics. The elder chuckled.

“Six should be enough.”

Sheepishly, Yohan returned the rest. Three years of living in hell, but medical care had always been handled by a doctor friend. His learning was minimal. He’d stocked the first shelter with medical books, but they had been practically useless.

The emergency disinfection was completed. Blood coagulants and transfusion packs would have been ideal, but with their current manpower, raiding a general hospital was impossible. All they could do now was hope for a stroke of luck.

Yohan lifted Gun’s arm and secured it to the patient bed’s frame with a cable tie.

“Stay back a bit, Elder.”

Yohan handed a knife to Hyuk.

“If your brother turns into a zombie, you’re the one who has to end it.”

“…”

“Gun would want it that way.”

Hyuk remained silent. Yohan didn’t wait for an answer; he got up and walked away.

There was more to do. He needed to leash those who refused to fall in line.

“Byung-jin hyung, Jung-hwan, come with me.”

Yohan’s command felt natural, and the two followed without question.

He searched for a suitable space to execute his plans and found a room that seemed to have been used as a break room for female staff. Inside, three women lay scattered in exhaustion. As Yohan entered, one of them scowled and muttered.

“What now…”

“Out.”

“What?”

“I said, get out.”

The three women scowled but glanced nervously at the weapons hanging from Yohan’s waist and grudgingly shuffled out. Yohan rummaged through the room and found a set of keys on top of a cabinet. Satisfied, he slipped them into his pocket.

Jung-hwan, observing him, spoke up.

“Hyung?”

“Starting now, move all the food and water here.”

“What? Why?”

“We’re going to control the supplies. No one touches anything without permission.”