Chapter 44

Yohan ordered the group to hold position. Leaving their secured spot could lead to devastating losses.

The group moved past the scattered cars, and the mart entrance came into view.

At that moment, something thin like a wire snagged Yohan’s ankle. His balance wavered, and his weight pitched forward. To prevent a hard fall, Yohan twisted his body mid-air and rolled forward. He glanced around quickly, alarmed.

‘Whizz!’

A sharp sound sliced through the darkness.

“Argh!”

An arrow tore through Jung-hwan’s thigh. He dropped his gun, clutching his leg as he collapsed.

“Jung-hwan!”

Another arrow shot through the darkness. It was impossible to locate where it was coming from. Yohan rolled hard across the ground again.

The arrow embedded itself in the ground where he had been. Yohan analyzed the direction the arrows were coming from based on their impact point.

“Ambush on the left! Hajin, get Jung-hwan behind that car!”

At Yohan’s command, Hajin dragged Jung-hwan behind a parked sedan, shielding him. Yohan quickly joined them.

“What… What’s happening?”

“It’s them. They were waiting for us.”

Yohan gritted his teeth. This wasn’t a diversion or a feint. The attackers had set a trap and were hunting them.

They were cornered.

The enemies were in a prime position, lying in wait. Apart from a few obstacles, it was an open field—running out now would make them little more than moving targets.

‘Pop!’

The sound of a firecracker igniting broke the air. It was tossed near the group’s cover. The firework burst into flames, lighting up the surroundings and drawing zombies toward the noise.

The cries of the undead grew louder as they began converging on the bright flames.

In the split second when the firecracker lit up, Yohan identified the enemies’ silhouettes—about six figures hidden in the shadows.

Jung-hwan groaned through gritted teeth. The wound couldn’t be ignored. They needed to get him to the infirmary, remove the arrow, and disinfect the wound.

Yohan fired his handgun at the zombies closing in. The gunshots dropped a few, but more undead kept advancing, drawn to the sound and light.

There was no time to waste.

“Hajin, do you see the broken second-floor glass wall on the left?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you grab that firework and throw it over there?”

“I think so.”

“Good. On three, I’ll charge, and you throw it. Then immediately get Jung-hwan back to camp.”

“What about you?”

“Go! One, two…”

Yohan stood up, sprinting toward the direction of the ambushers.

“Three!”

—

Twenty minutes earlier.

Seri and Dong-seok were on the mart rooftop, keeping watch. Despite their best efforts to focus, it was difficult to make out anything in the darkness, especially when the moonlight hid behind the clouds.

A long silence stretched between them.

It wasn’t that they were shy, but they had never been alone together, let alone had a proper conversation. The awkwardness was inevitable. Seri, for her part, was diligently following Yohan’s instructions to ‘focus’. For her, Yohan’s word was law.

Dong-seok broke the silence. He muttered, almost like he was talking to himself.

“I thought once we joined a safe camp, we wouldn’t have to worry about dying anymore.”

Seri glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that Dong-seok was looking at her, she jerked her chin.

“It’s fine if you talk, but don’t look at me. We’re on watch.”

Dong-seok scratched his head awkwardly and turned back to his position. They spoke without looking at each other.

“Seri, don’t you feel nervous?”

“Mister, if you have the energy to talk, use it to do your job. You do understand the situation, right?”

“I just feel suffocated. Honestly, sometimes I think we would’ve been better off alone.”

Seri let out a faint chuckle.

“If we were alone, we’d already be dead, lying cold on the street somewhere.”

“…Is that so…”

“Ugh, I really need to pee.”

“Do you want to use the restroom?”

“No way. I’m not dying a stupid death just because I went to the bathroom. If it gets too bad, I’ll just go a little at a time and dry it. Or I could pee in the planter here.”

“…”

“What? Got a problem with that?”

“Urine isn’t good for plants. It’s better to collect it in a container, let it ferment for a few days, and then use it.”

“Do you think that matters right now?!”

“Well… it’s something we might eat someday…”

“Wait.”

Seri cut him off.

While they were talking, a faint sound passed by.

“Mister, did you hear that?”

“Hear what…?”

Seri raised her finger to her lips, signaling for him to shut up. Dong-seok fell silent, but they heard nothing.

‘Click.’ Seri turned on the emergency flashlight.

They’d been warned not to use it unless absolutely necessary to avoid being seen, but now they had to find the source of that strange sound. Seri began slowly circling the rooftop, searching for the noise.

Dong-seok followed her lead, moving in the opposite direction.

“Nothing here…”

Dong-seok had just made it halfway around the rooftop when his eyes widened in surprise. The rooftop door, which had been securely locked, was slightly ajar.

“Huh? When did this…”

‘Thud!’

A dull, heavy sound rang out, and Dong-seok collapsed to the ground. Standing in his place was a figure cloaked in black, with a mask and scarf covering everything but his eyes and nose. He held a bloodstained baseball bat.

“Uh… uh…”

Seri’s eyes darted to Dong-seok’s crumpled body.

“See? I told you she’d be pretty. And as agreed, I get her first.”

“Tch…”

One of the attackers clicked his tongue. With malicious glee, they darted toward her, quickly closing the distance.

Seri’s body trembled, chills running up her spine.

There was no time to think about how they had gotten up there. Seri’s hands moved instinctively. The radio she’d placed near her knees. The revolver at her waist.

Seri chose the gun.

‘Just like I was taught… just like I was taught…’

She pulled back the slide, gripped the gun firmly with both hands, and aimed for the center of her target.

The moment she raised her revolver, the man flinched and split to both sides, charging at her. Seri’s revolver barked. ‘Bang!’

The shot missed.

A second shot. A third.

They missed.

She couldn’t hit them.

Their wide, bulging eyes loomed larger and larger, filling her vision. Seri’s body froze with growing terror.

Finally, her fourth shot hit its mark. The bullet tore through one of the attacker’s stomachs. He crumpled to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.

Seri steadied her shaking arms and turned to aim at the other man.

At that moment, a heavy blow slammed into her head. Her vision blurred as her surroundings spun. The rooftop floor seemed to rise toward her, and with a sickening ‘thud’, she struck the ground. Her consciousness dimmed.

Through the haze, she heard voices echoing in her ears.

“Damn it, that was close. Does everyone here carry guns? Why is this different from what we heard?”

Rough hands tugged at her, yanking the gun from her grip and tossing the knife in her waistband aside.

“Hey, is she dead? What the hell, man. Who told you to go to the first-floor door…”

The other attacker lay limp, unmoving, a pool of blood spreading beneath him. The standing man scowled.

“Forget it. They’ll figure it out. Not my problem.”

He kicked his fallen partner’s body a couple of times, spat on him, and smashed his head mercilessly with the baseball bat. ‘Thwack! Thwack!’ Blood splattered across the rooftop.

After a moment, the man turned back to Seri.

“Now it’s time to claim my prize. I didn’t expect to find such a pretty thing up here.”

A sick grin spread across his face.

Their task had been simple: open the rooftop door, eliminate the guards, and let the others in. His partner, a skilled lock-picker, had done the job, and they had been careful to avoid smashing through to stay unnoticed. It had worked perfectly.

But the girl on the rooftop was an unexpected bonus. Far beyond his expectations.

The man whistled, but his smug expression froze as a faint voice rose from the ground.

“Hands… off… you filthy bastard…”

“Oh, you’re awake already? Impressive. I went easy so you wouldn’t die, but still…”

But Seri had only regained consciousness. Her head throbbed, and her vision swam. The pain was almost unbearable.

The man picked up the bat again, as if to knock her out properly this time, but then smirked when he saw her weakness.

“You know what? This isn’t so bad. Want to play nice and go to ‘Hong Kong’ with me, or should I beat you until you’re unconscious again? Your choice.”

“You sick bastard.”

The man let out a twisted laugh. He was clearly unhinged, his actions and gaze brimming with madness, like someone high on drugs.

“Hong Kong? You couldn’t even make it past the Seoul toll gate.”

Seri spat to the side. She tasted blood—her mouth must have been cut. She tried to sit up but collapsed again.

“Damn, you hit me hard…”

The man, no longer amused, pulled Seri’s revolver from his back pocket and forced the barrel into her mouth. She winced in pain, a muffled groan escaping.

“Let’s not waste time, huh?”

‘At least put something on the floor, you piece of trash.’

Seri muttered faintly, her voice barely audible.

“Slow down… My head’s pounding, you asshole…”

Seri rolled onto her back, staring up at the sky. Her chest rose and fell weakly, her breath shallow. Seeing her defeated form, the man smiled with satisfaction.

“Good. Obedient and cooperative. I’ve never seen a type like you before.”

He leaned in, pressing his face against her upper body.

Seri raised her hands to the back of his head, her trembling fingers brushing against his scalp.

“Wait… just a second…”

“What? Why?”

In an instant, Seri’s thumbs jabbed into the man’s eyes, her long nails digging deep.

‘Squish.’

“Aaaargh!”

The man shrieked in agony, clutching at his bleeding eyes. Seri kicked her feet into his chest, shoving him backward.

As she scrambled to get away, a massive hand grabbed her ankle.

“Ahhh!”