RE: Survival - Chapter 38

The one-ton truck carrying Sweeper arrived at the Yakdaedong Community Center. The soldiers parked the truck at the center and began unloading the supplies for transport.

The surrounding area appeared to have been partially cleared of zombies, as only a few stragglers appeared here and there. Those were quickly dispatched by the soldiers leading the group. Fighting with knives was evidently more practical than using empty firearms.

Sweeper quietly followed at a distance. Their destination was an elementary school a block away.

“…”

At the school gate stood a sign reading “Temporary Shelter.” However, the sign was long stained with blood, rendering it nearly illegible.

The shelter was in ruins. The remnants of tents and scattered military supply boxes told the story of fierce survival battles over the past six months. The soldiers opened the creaky iron gate and entered, which then closed behind them with a loud clang.

Rather than following them inside, Sweeper chose to position himself atop a nearby high-rise building and surveyed the scene through binoculars.

He recalled his conversation with Yohan before he left.

—

“Do me a favor.”

“A favor? You actually asking for one? What is it?”

“I need you to follow those soldiers and scout their movements.”

“Scout? Are you planning to just let them go?”

Yohan frowned at Sweeper’s incredulous response.

“Then should I kill them all? They’re just a reserve battalion.”

“I thought that’s what you had in mind. It’s written all over your face. Am I wrong?”

Caught off guard, Yohan stayed silent for a moment before replying.

“…That was the plan. I’ve changed my mind.”

“Why? That’s not like you.”

“Do you see me as some crazed murderer? Something about them doesn’t sit right.”

“What doesn’t sit right?”

“No matter how much I provoked them, they kept worrying about their unit’s safety. It’s suspicious. I need to know who they really are.”

Yohan had no intention of recruiting the soldiers, but before eliminating them as a potential threat, he wanted to confirm whether they posed one at all.

“Are they a rogue violent group, lucky survivors, or potential allies? Find out for me.”

“Considering how hard you pushed them, you’d think you’ve already decided.”

“I needed to gauge their reactions.”

“And if they turn out to be dangerous?”

“Radio me. I’ll handle it myself.”

—

Sweeper shook off the memory. Yohan, his new leader, was as cold as he was soft. While he admired Yohan’s humanity, it was also bittersweet to see him bear so much on his own shoulders.

“At least he trusted me with this mission,” Sweeper muttered.

If this had been the Yohan he first met, he would’ve taken on the dangerous task himself. Entrusting it to Sweeper now showed that Yohan had begun to trust him, whether in skill or loyalty.

“I won’t betray that trust.”

Sweeper shifted his focus back to the elementary school. The soldiers were moving haphazardly in the yard, clearly shaken by something.

Corpses littered the grounds—seven or eight in total. Among them were soldiers, women, and even children. One soldier’s corpse had been gruesomely hung from a pole like a macabre flag.

Sweeper grimaced at the horrifying sight.

Could the soldiers have done this?

That thought was quickly dispelled. The soldiers were weeping, unable to even bring themselves to recover the bodies, utterly devastated.

This wasn’t the work of zombies. It was the work of humans.

Sweeper noticed tire tracks crisscrossing the schoolyard.

“They were riding motorcycles.”

The memory of what he heard at the hospital resurfaced. Violent marauders who hunted people while riding motorcycles.

The soldiers eventually composed themselves enough to begin collecting the bodies. Once they disappeared into the school building, Sweeper climbed over the school’s outer wall, moving stealthily.

On one corner of the gate was a word written in blood: “Here.”

It was the same word he had seen at the hospital. Something clicked in his mind. Something wasn’t right.

The marauders had been at the Suncheonhyang Hospital three days ago, and at some unknown point, they had also been here. Could they have overlooked the mart between the two locations?

A sense of unease prompted Sweeper to radio Yohan.

“Yohan, it’s me.”

– “Yeah, what’s up?”

“I’ll explain everything later, but you remember that blood writing from the hospital? Could you check the outer wall of the mart?”

After a pause, Yohan’s voice returned over the radio.

– “Got it.”

Lowering the volume on the radio, Sweeper suppressed his presence as he infiltrated the school. Broken glass, blood-stained walls, and unrecovered bodies littered the interior. Near a room that resembled a lab, muffled voices and sobbing could be heard.

He pressed his ear to the door.

*Sobs.*

“It’s okay. You hid well.”

“What about the commander?”

“It’s okay now. It’s all okay.”

Inside the classroom, children clung to the soldiers, crying their hearts out.

—

“Yohan…”

Back at the camp, Yohan stood grim-faced by one side of the mart’s exterior wall. Survivors gathered around him with tense expressions.

On the wall was the same bloody writing they had seen at the hospital.

“What is this?”

Jung-hwan, unaware of what had occurred at the hospital, noticed the tense expressions of the group and asked cautiously, but Yohan, lost in thought, didn’t respond.

The marking that Sweeper had pointed out gave Yohan chills. Without Sweeper, they wouldn’t have even known it existed.

An unknown enemy already knew their existence and location, while Yohan and his group knew almost nothing about them—only that they were mobile, organized, and brutal.

His mind raced.

Leaving such a marking without attacking suggested that the enemy likely knew the group had firearms. Yet, there was one thing Yohan couldn’t understand:

Why leave the marking at all?

Perhaps the enemy thought the group wouldn’t notice it. But if Yohan were in their position, he would have stayed hidden until the moment of attack, giving the enemy no time to prepare. A blatant marking like this was akin to a declaration of war.

It had to be one of two things: they were either too foolish to think otherwise or held such contempt for Yohan’s group that they didn’t feel the need to hide. Either way, Yohan found it somewhat fortunate.

“Jung-hwan.”

“Yes, hyung?”

“Keep this a secret from everyone else for now. Just heighten the patrols for the combat team. We have an enemy.”

“An enemy?”

“Yes, some psycho maniacs nearby.”

“Gosh…”

“Don’t overthink it. If they attack, we’ll kill them. Simple.”

Although it felt premature, with the enemy’s presence revealed, it was time to arm all combat teams with firearms.

Yohan repeated to himself like a mantra: No matter the enemy, we won’t lose. He had never been defeated, except against “Seo Saeng-yeon.” And even if he were to encounter her again, he was certain things would end differently.

Acting as if nothing had happened, Yohan and his group returned to the camp to meet with Dr. Park Jae-beom.

“How do you find the camp so far?”

“Wow, I’m amazed. I didn’t expect you to maintain such a well-organized setup. And that rooftop garden—how long has it been there?”

“Not long. We just set it up.”

“It’s not just the food. The clothing, the personal items—you’ve got so much. It’s truly surprising!”

Yohan chuckled at Dr. Park’s exuberant reaction. He had expected as much.

“I’m glad you like it. You’ll be using the medical room as your personal space. It’s nothing fancy, but I hope you’ll make good use of it.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Yohan turned his attention to new arrivals in the camp.

The newcomers, four in total, were a family: an uncle, a mother, and their two teenage children. They had been waiting patiently, showing no signs of irritation. They seemed content simply knowing they were in a safe place with food.

Yohan dismissed the team monitoring them and sat down across from the family.

“I’ll need to ask you a few questions.”

The interrogation dragged on for a while. Yohan inquired about their previous lives, skills, how they had survived, and even how many zombies they had killed. The family answered earnestly, concluding each response with a plea to stay.

“They don’t seem suspicious, hyung.”

“No one suspicious ever admits they’re suspicious, Hajin.”

Suspicion could only be confirmed through experience. Yohan turned back to the newcomers and explained.

“We don’t accept visitors unconditionally. If you decide to join us, you must follow our rules and remain under our supervision. Is that acceptable?”

The family nodded in agreement.

“Good. Mr. Shin Dong-seok, I’d like you to stay here and join the search party. The rest of you will be sent to a nearby camp to live there.”

None of them stood out as valuable additions to the supply camp, except for Shin Dong-seok. His burly frame and role as the leader of the group made him a candidate for training in the search party. He had also been the one to protect his family throughout their ordeal.

The family murmured uneasily at the prospect of being separated.

“Is that camp safe?”

“Yes, but there’s a fair amount of work to be done. Don’t worry—it’s only 15 minutes from here, and you’ll see Dong-seok every day.”

“Okay…”

“May I take that as your agreement?”

The family nodded reluctantly. Yohan clapped his hands with a grin.

“Enjoy today. Eat well and get some rest—you all look exhausted.”

After arranging food and accommodations for the family, Yohan called for Jung-hwan.

“Jung-hwan.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Keep an eye on the newcomers, but don’t make it obvious.”

“Understood.”

As Yohan was about to leave, he paused and turned back.

“How long has Hyuk been gone?”

“Hyuk? About a week.”

“He’s late.”

“Yeah, he is.”

Hyuk had left to hold a memorial for his brother with his parents. His extended absence was troubling, especially with the knowledge of marauders in the area.

He better come back soon.