RE: Survival - Chapter 24

Jung-hwan swung his zombie spear wildly to draw attention while two of the younger survivors descended from the truck. The pair sprinted to the metal door and called out to Jung-hwan.

“Hyung!”

The barricade, once a defense, now served as a stepping stone for the zombies. They spilled over it in waves. Jung-hwan could no longer hold his position and leaped from the truck, rolling onto the ground.

Pain flared in his knees and palms, but he had no time to dwell on it. Navigating through a gap in the approaching zombies, he headed for the metal door.

At the door, Sung-bae and Gi-moon were desperately fighting off zombies. Jung-hwan stopped mid-step—there were far too many zombies between him and the door.

If he advanced, none of them would survive.

“Close the door!”

Jung-hwan’s shout was the last thing Sung-bae and Gi-moon heard before the horde swallowed him from view.

Sung-bae, unable to hold out any longer, shut the door. The pounding of zombies against the metal reverberated through the space.

“Wait, hyung’s still out there!” Gi-moon protested.

“Do you have any idea how many zombies are right outside?” Sung-bae snapped.

Gi-moon reached for the door handle, but Sung-bae stopped him. The relentless pounding and snarling on the other side sent chills down their spines. Gi-moon’s resolve faltered as the weight of the situation sank in.

But the danger was far from over.

*Crash!* The shattering of glass echoed through the air. Both Gi-moon and Sung-bae turned to see the front glass door of the first floor break under the weight of the zombies.

The narrow breach widened as more zombies pushed through, tearing their flesh on the jagged shards without hesitation. Some spilled their entrails, while others had faces half torn off.

Those lounging or patrolling nearby froze in shock at the sight of the surging undead. Panic spread like wildfire.

People began to scream as the zombies attacked, sinking their teeth into flesh. Darkness fell over the survivors.

—

The first to act was Byung-jin. Guarding the entrance with Min-seo, he shouted at the stunned survivors:

“Get up! Move! The zombies are coming! Spread out!”

Yohan’s parting words to the camp leaders rang in his mind:
*”If a wave breaks out or something happens while I’m gone, retreat to the basement. Don’t come out until all the food is gone, no matter what.”*

And then:
*”Don’t try to hold them off. You can’t fight that many.”*

Byung-jin had initially tried to hold the breach with the guards when the glass first broke. There was only one entrance, and the survivors were no longer the frightened, inexperienced refugees they once were.

But there were simply too many zombies. Holding the line meant more casualties, and he couldn’t bear to leave Min-seo in such a dangerous position. Glancing at her as she frantically fought beside him, he made a decision.

“We’re retreating to the basement!” he shouted.

The survivors began to pull back. If they remained calm, they might escape without further losses.

But Byung-jin’s hopes were short-lived.
‘The zombies are too fast.’

Unlike the slow-moving zombies he was accustomed to, these moved at a brisk pace, keeping up with a quick human stride despite their uneven gait. The first casualty came as a panicked survivor tripped and fell. The zombies pounced like hyenas, and a sharp scream pierced the air.

Seeing this, the survivors broke into a mad dash, and chaos erupted.

Grabbing Min-seo’s hand, Byung-jin ran. Survival of the group no longer mattered—saving her was his sole focus.

“Ah!” Min-seo cried out.

Byung-jin stopped, alarmed, and turned to her.

“Min-seo!”

She was clutching her opposite arm. Her elbow had been sliced open by a jagged edge of furniture. Relieved it wasn’t a zombie bite, Byung-jin quickly tore his undershirt to bandage the wound.

The zombies closed in. Byung-jin kicked one hard in the chest, sending it sprawling. It got up almost immediately, snarling.

“Let’s go!” Min-seo urged.

Byung-jin nodded and sprinted with her to the emergency exit. Behind them, Sung-bae and Gi-moon barely managed to slip through before slamming the metal door shut. The screeching and pounding of the zombies outside filled the air.

“What’s going on, Byung-jin? Where’s Jung-hwan?” asked an elderly man.

“The glass on the first floor broke. Zombies are pouring in. We’ll have to abandon the first floor entirely. This door will hold, so don’t worry too much.”

Byung-jin tried to reassure the group, but unease lingered in their faces. He turned to Gi-moon and Sung-bae.

“Where’s Jung-hwan?”

“The parking lot was breached. Zombies just kept climbing over the barricade…” Gi-moon trailed off.

“And Jung-hwan?”

“He didn’t make it.”

“Did he… die?”

“No, I think he escaped in the opposite direction.”

While it was a relief that Jung-hwan might still be alive, his absence left the camp leaderless. Without Yohan, and now Jung-hwan, there was no one to guide them.

—

Min-seo cleaned her wound and changed into fresh clothes to avoid alarming the others with her bloodstained appearance.

The survivors, unprompted, gathered in the center of the basement. Even those who usually preferred solitude joined the group, seeking comfort in numbers.

“Where’s Seri?” Byung-jin asked while taking a headcount. Excluding those lost in the parking lot or the first floor, only Seri and Jung-hwan were missing.

“No one’s seen her. Maybe she’s on the roof?” someone suggested.

Seri was known to spend time on the roof, waiting for Yohan’s return. Concern spread among the group. If Seri was trapped on the roof, food and water would quickly become an issue.

The pounding and snarling of zombies against the escalator barricade drew everyone’s attention. Though the barricade was solidly built, the relentless noise frayed their nerves.

Despite Seri and Jung-hwan’s uncertain fates, the immediate threat was the barricade.

—

Byung-jin held Min-seo close, trying to soothe her trembling.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you no matter what.”

“I feel dizzy.”

“You’re just shaken. Lean on me and rest.”

Min-seo nodded, finding unexpected comfort in his embrace. Byung-jin gently stroked her hair, his resolve hardening.

“Byung-jin, the barricade is making people anxious,” said Park, an elderly survivor. “We should reinforce it.”

“Good idea. Let’s add more to it,” Byung-jin agreed, rising.

The survivors followed Byung-jin’s lead, piling furniture onto the already multi-layered barricade. Once every possible gap was sealed, the zombie noises dulled slightly, allowing the group to catch their breath.

Minutes passed. Or was it hours? Gradually, the survivors calmed. Even the children’s sobs faded into silence, replaced by their mothers’ quiet reassurances.

But amidst the calm, trouble was brewing.

—

Gi-moon fidgeted with a car key he’d taken as a trophy after killing a zombie in the fourth-floor parking lot. The key’s logo depicted a horse rearing on its hind legs.

“Was hoping to test drive a Ferrari when things settled. Guess that’s out of the question now,” he muttered.

Sung-bae, sitting nearby, rested his face on his knees in apparent exhaustion. Gi-moon nudged him.

“Hey, if you’re tired, go lie down.”

There was no response. Gi-moon leaned closer, puzzled.

“Hey.”

Sung-bae finally lifted his head, revealing pale, cloudy eyes devoid of humanity. Gi-moon froze as Sung-bae lunged.

Caught off guard, Gi-moon hesitated—an instant of indecision cost him as Sung-bae bit into his neck. Blood sprayed into the air as Gi-moon’s scream filled the basement.

Chaos erupted. Sung-bae turned on a nearby elderly man, sinking his teeth into his arm.

Byung-jin saw the bite on Sung-bae’s leg, now all too clear. He rushed forward but was forced back when Gi-moon, now turned, staggered toward him.

The infection spread like wildfire, and Byung-jin realized the nightmare had just begun.

“Get inside! Min-seo, you too!” he shouted, shoving her toward safety.

With Sung-bae and Gi-moon moving unnaturally fast, Byung-jin knew protecting Min-seo was his priority.