RE: Survival - Chapter 5

A pharmacy window shattered in the darkness. Yohan moved quickly, knowing exactly what needed to be done first amidst the chaos.

Securing medical supplies.

Fever reducers, anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, antiparasitics, and, most importantly, antibiotics. These were essential. Bandages and other medical aids were also crucial for survival. A weakened immune system naturally reduced survival odds. Yohan grabbed as many of the internal medicines as he could remember being used most frequently in the previous timeline.

Though he would gather supplies as needed during his movements, having a stash ready at the shelter was essential as a last line of defense.

Suddenly, from behind him, he heard the rustling of movement accompanied by an unfamiliar voice.

“W-who’s there?”

Damn. Yohan frowned. He hadn’t expected anyone to be inside the pharmacy at this hour. His grip tightened on the knife.

The man appeared to be in his early fifties, not particularly large in build. Yohan silently set down the supplies in his hands and moved toward the man from behind.

“Mmmph…!”

In an instant, Yohan subdued the man, who struggled with surprising strength. When Yohan brought the knife close to the man’s eye, the man froze. Normally, Yohan might have tried to resolve the situation with words, but he had broken in. He didn’t want to create unnecessary commotion.

“I won’t hurt you if you don’t resist.”

“Mmmph!”

“But if you resist, I might have to kill you.”

He meant it. While he didn’t want to kill without reason, he had no intention of leaving behind a loose end.

Fortunately, the man stopped struggling. Yohan nodded and looked for something to tie him up with. He found twine from a box of medical supplies and bound the man’s hands and feet. Fear filled the man’s eyes.

“All I need are the medicines. Sorry for the trouble. I’ll remember your face, so if we meet again…”

Even as he spoke, Yohan didn’t stop gathering supplies.

“…I’ll help you once.”

The man was likely a pharmacist—a valuable profession worth keeping in mind. Though the chance of meeting him again was slim.

“I didn’t tie you too tightly, so you should be able to free yourself soon.”

After covering the broken window with a cardboard box, Yohan left the pharmacy.

Back at his hideout, Yohan triple-locked the doors and set up a simple alarm system with fishing line and bells around the perimeter.

Once everything was ready, he washed himself with warm water. The fatigue from the day melted away.

The world outside would only descend further into chaos with each passing day—worse tomorrow, and even worse the day after.

In about a month, when stockpiles ran dry, the hidden survivors would emerge, and the infected would multiply exponentially. Cities would no longer belong to humans.

Yohan planned to stay in his hideout for about six months.

The most dangerous time in the previous timeline had been those first six months—when the city was at its most chaotic. It was a time to avoid unnecessary movement.

While zombies were a threat, getting conscripted by the military during the early chaos would be a death sentence.

The next six months would serve as humanity’s trial—a sieve separating the deserving from the doomed. After that, only those fit to survive would remain.

That would be the time to emerge.

Living alone forever wasn’t an option. He would need to form allies.

His goal was to unite multiple camps and build a large, stable organization. His model was the most powerful and brutal faction from the previous timeline—the Seoul Survival Union. Of course, without the brutality. He intended to be cold and calculating but not ruthless. Brutality would only lead to bloodshed in the end.

The goal was to build an organization of survivors that could withstand any threat.

With these thoughts settled, Yohan turned on the TV.

‘The power’s still on.’

Even if the electricity were to go out, he could still rely on the small amount of power generated by solar panels. It wasn’t a major concern.

He leaned back on his beanbag cushion and powered on his PlayStation. He intended to continue playing *The Walking Dead 3*, a zombie survival game.

Outside the window, which he had covered with blinds, the sounds of zombies and fleeing people echoed from the streets.

‘They’ve already made it here?’

The infection was spreading quickly. It was fortunate he had sealed the pharmacy’s broken window. He had almost killed someone today.

Whether that was fortunate or unfortunate, he couldn’t say. At this rate, he might need to make his move in three months rather than six.

Yohan frowned and focused on the game screen.

The age of chaos was beginning. A soft background track played as the screen loaded.

—

**The First Camp – Jung-dong Hypermarket**

June 2017.

Six months into the zombie apocalypse.

Inside a hypermarket at Bucheon City Hall Station.

“Aaaaah!”

A scream echoed.

A man had been cornered by zombies at the entrance of the electronics section on the first floor. The infected tore into him with savage ferocity, biting and ripping his body apart.

The eyes of those fleeing with him filled with fear. As the man convulsed and coughed up blood, he raised his hand weakly, his face twisted in agony and fear.

“Ughhh…”

“Sung-hyun!”

Their leader, Kang Gun, shouted too late. Sung-hyun’s intestines were already spilling out, his eyes rolling back into his head.

Gun bit his lip hard. They shouldn’t have come up from the basement. It had been too dangerous.

Of the eight who had initially ventured out, two were already dead. Worse, the zombies were tightening their circle around them.

“Stay together! Stick close!”

Gun ran toward the opposite emergency exit, gripping a kitchen knife tightly. His hand trembled with fear, making it hard to keep his grip on the knife. But he had a responsibility to the people who trusted and followed him.

“Stop!”

Gun halted abruptly. Three zombies had appeared directly in front of him.

There was no way he could handle all three at once.

He had lost the shortest path and was forced to change direction. A scream came from behind him.

“Sae-hwa!”

The woman at the rear had been caught. Before she could put up any resistance, the zombies tore at her skin. Her horrific screams tore through the air, painful to hear.

“Damn it! Damn it!”

He changed direction again, but more zombies blocked his path.

It was hopeless.

“Climb up!”

Gun scrambled onto the display shelves of a cosmetics store. Three others followed, and his younger brother, Kang Hyuk, tried to climb up last.

But a zombie’s hand suddenly shot out and grabbed Hyuk’s ankle.

Just as Hyuk’s grip on the shelf began to falter, Gun swung his knife, slicing through the zombie’s hand.

It took two or three chops to sever the hand completely. Hyuk finally managed to pull himself onto the shelf, the severed hand still clinging to his leg.

The five survivors sat atop the narrow shelf, gasping for breath in despair.

By now, more than thirty zombies had gathered below, trapping them on the shelf. A woman began to sob, calling out the name of her fallen friend.

“Sae-hwa…”

Her sobs spread quickly, and soon both she and the man next to her were crying.

“Shut up! Stop whining!” another woman snapped irritably. But even she was anxiously biting her nails.

“I don’t want to die here.”

Her eyes glimmered with fierce determination.

Gun wracked his brain, trying to think of a way out. Meanwhile, Hyuk swung his knife desperately, attempting to kill at least one zombie. But there were too many reaching hands.

After narrowly avoiding a swipe from a zombie, Hyuk spat in frustration.

“Hyung, what do we do?”

Gun had no answer.

They couldn’t stay up there much longer—at most, a few hours. There wasn’t even space to sit properly.

The number of zombies kept growing. A decision had to be made, and soon…

“I’ll go down.”

Hyuk’s words cut through Gun’s thoughts.

“What?”

“I’ll go down. In a situation like this, someone has to act as bait.”

“Don’t be stupid! You’ll die if you go down there!”

“I know.”

Hyuk’s voice was a mix of fear and resolve.

“I was the one who insisted we come here. This is my responsibility.”

“You idiot, it’s not your fault.”

They hadn’t had a choice—they needed supplies. Hyuk had only been brave enough to volunteer, and Gun had made the final decision. No one was to blame.

“If we stay like this, we’ll all die, Hyung.”

Gun cursed under his breath.

When he had returned home after the outbreak, his parents were already zombies. It had been Hyuk, holding a kitchen knife, who had saved him—his face streaked with tears and blood.

Hyuk, his only remaining family, the brother he couldn’t afford to lose.

“I’ll go.”

“Hyung!”

“Do you see that empty space over there? I’ll jump across and land there. As soon as I hit the ground, I’ll draw their attention and circle around. When their numbers thin out, run to the emergency exit. If you can’t wait for me, head to the loading dock yourselves. If I can’t keep up, I’ll head underground.”

Hyuk looked at the gap. It was a jump of nearly three meters—dangerous, even for someone as athletic as Gun had been in high school. Even if he made it across, he’d be surrounded the moment he landed.

It was practically suicide.

“I’ll do it!”

“You can’t die like this! Everyone here is depending on you. If you die, they’ll lose hope.”

“I have to do it.”

As the two brothers argued over who would risk their life, the shadow of misfortune crept closer. A towering zombie, nearly 190 cm tall, emerged, shambling toward them.

“Gun oppa, l-look…”

Following Min-seo’s trembling finger, Gun saw the tall zombie closing in. With arms long enough to grab anyone within reach, the zombie showed no mercy.

Before they could react, the zombie snatched Hyuk’s leg. Hyuk swung his knife, but he lost his balance, and the blade sliced through the air uselessly.

Hyuk clung to the shelf, desperately hanging on, but it was only a matter of time.

“Hyuuung!”

Gun watched in horror as Hyuk lost his grip and was dragged into the horde below. His anguished cry echoed through the air, mixed with the sound of flesh tearing and zombies snarling.

“Hyuk! Damn it, let go!”

“Oppa, no!”

Gun tried to jump down, but the others held him back.

Just then, a scream tore through the chaos—not Hyuk’s, but something unexpected.

Hyuk, bleeding and desperate, had managed to slice off a zombie’s wrist and was crawling through the legs of the horde, fighting to escape.

The cluster of zombies rippled with confusion as they trampled over each other in pursuit.

Then, suddenly—

*Ping!*

A sharp whistling sound cut through the air.

An arrow embedded itself in the back of a zombie’s head, the one that had been lunging for Hyuk. The zombie wobbled and collapsed.

*Ping, ping!* More arrows followed in quick succession.

Around ten zombies fell, and Hyuk staggered to his feet, dazed but alive. The zombies, oblivious to their fallen comrades, continued pressing toward him.

And then, like a flash of lightning, a figure darted into the horde and began slaughtering the zombies with ruthless precision.