RE: Survival - Chapter 53

For Yohan, this was an entirely unexpected scenario. Under normal circumstances, there shouldn’t have been any survivors left in a base after a zombie wave had passed.

In all his experiences, he had never encountered a situation where survivors remained after a wave ended.

The men were clad in ill-fitting military uniforms, their skin grimy and pale, with dried blood crusted all over their bodies and clothes. Their sunken, hollow eyes, resembling those of rotting fish, suggested they had been living in darkness with only a small, dim window for light for an extended period.

Inside the warehouse, empty cans, discarded packaging, and scorched patches on the floor were scattered everywhere, evidence of their attempts to survive.

The survivors stared at Yohan’s group with fearful eyes before one of them hesitantly spoke.

“Are… are you the rescue team?”

“We are not.”

Yohan’s response was firm. He gestured with his chin for his team to close the warehouse door. The heavy, grating sound echoed as the door shut.

It took several minutes for the team to acclimate to the stench, gradually removing their hands from their noses.

There was an eerie tension between the scouting team and the survivors. The survivors exuded a strange unease, and the air was taut with a palpable sense of danger. Yohan was the first to break the silence.

“How long have you been here?”

The survivors didn’t respond. Whether they were avoiding the question or didn’t know the answer, Yohan couldn’t tell.

“Were you members of this base?”

Only then did they nod hesitantly. Yohan’s brow furrowed.

Ignoring the stifling atmosphere, Yohan left his team near the window, trying to catch a bit of fresh air, and inspected the warehouse. There was a small amount of water left, but most of the food supplies were gone. His steps halted in front of another door inside the warehouse.

“What’s behind this door?”

“Don’t open it!” one of the survivors cried out in alarm, rushing toward him. In a panic, they added hastily, “It’s… the restroom. You really shouldn’t open it.”

Nodding, Yohan placed his hand on the doorknob. Seeing this, one of the survivors lunged at him with a desperate shout.

Yohan made a swift decision, raising his Glock to aim at the approaching man.

“Hyung!” Hyuk shouted, but Yohan ignored him. The Glock roared twice in quick succession.

Bang! Bang!

Two of the survivors collapsed, while the remaining one froze in place, trembling, and raised his hands in surrender. Yohan shifted his aim slowly toward him, but before he could fire, Hyuk tackled him.

“What are you doing?” Hyuk shouted.

“What do you think I’m doing? We don’t have time for this. Let me handle it.”

“Hyung, they’re strangers, sure, but this isn’t right—!”

Without a word, Yohan opened the door behind Hyuk. A wave of putrid stench flooded out, revealing a horrific scene.

Inside the cramped room were piles of filth and unrecognizable human remains, with severed heads left intact. Hyuk stood frozen, his mouth opening and closing, unable to form words.

“…”

When Hyuk didn’t recover from his shock, Yohan calmly explained.

“They ate people. Does that make sense now? Move.”

“It wasn’t us! We didn’t do it!” the remaining survivor screamed desperately. Hyuk finally seemed to snap out of it and spread his arms in front of Yohan.

“Wait! At least listen to him—”

“Move.”

“But—”

There was no time to argue. Yohan shoved Hyuk aside and pulled the trigger. The last survivor crumpled to the ground, trembling, before collapsing into the congealed blood pool. Fresh blood seeped into the already darkened floor.

“If you’re going to lie, at least wipe the blood off your mouth first. What do you take me for, an idiot? Even if they didn’t do it themselves, it doesn’t matter. Standing by and letting it happen makes them just as guilty. They’ve survived by eating people.”

“Still… I can’t condone this…”

“Condone?”

Yohan’s expression hardened as he stared at Hyuk.

“Threatening someone outside the group is considered self-defense against unverified dangers. Did you forget the camp rules?”

“…”

“If you can’t accept the rules that keep everyone safe, then leave. I won’t stop you.”

“…”

“Think carefully, Hyuk. You know why you’re so fixated on saving people, whose burdens you’re trying to carry. But I’m not risking our group for some naive idealism.”

With that, Yohan turned abruptly and walked away. There was nothing left for him here.

“Get up. We’re leaving.”

Just then, a transmission came in from Sweeper.

“Boss, how much longer?”

“Almost done. What’s going on?”

“The zombies are acting weird. They’ve stopped following us for some reason.”

Damn it. It was an all-too-familiar omen. And as if on cue, the howls of zombies echoed from outside the building.

A zombie wave.

This wasn’t part of Yohan’s plan. Including the survivors and the scouting team, their group barely numbered twenty.

When they had arrived, the wave had clearly ended. So why now?

In Yohan’s experience, zombie waves didn’t stop until the last survivor in an area was hunted down. If these survivors had been here during the wave, the zombies should have kept coming until they were dead.

Unless the survivors had remained completely hidden, making it impossible for the zombies to finish the hunt. If such a standoff had lasted long enough, could the wave have entered a dormant state? Would the zombies endlessly wait for their prey to emerge or perish?

A hypothesis Yohan had never considered began forming in his mind—a possibility he had yet to encounter.

Zombie waves might have a lull period. A state where the wave neither ends nor continues. Perhaps the zombies had been lingering nearby, observing the situation.

As the thought crossed his mind, Yohan opened the door. Countless zombies were charging toward the warehouse. Hundreds—no, perhaps thousands—an endless tide of undead.

Through the crack in the door, the sight of the approaching horde filled everyone’s eyes with terror.

“Time to move.”

Yohan shouted and dashed forward, slicing through the zombie directly in front of him. But almost instantly, another one lunged at him. Zombies in a wave state were fast—fast and relentless.

The scouting team quickly regrouped, but the relentless flood of zombies pushed the front line further back.

“Aah!”

A member slipped in the blood and fell. Hyuk broke from the front to cover her, which only caused the line to falter further.

At this rate, casualties were inevitable. Not only were they unable to break through, but it looked like they might all die here.

“Retreat! Back to the warehouse!”

Yohan shouted, fighting off the zombies clinging to him as he pulled the warehouse door shut. Grasping hands poked through the crack of the door as the team struggled to hold it closed.

Hyuk, having helped the fallen team member inside, returned to slash at the zombie hands with a blade.

“What now…?”

Desperation tinged someone’s voice, and the others’ faces grew dark. The pounding on the warehouse door grew louder and louder.

“What do we do now?” Seri asked, her voice steady despite the fear evident in her eyes. There was unwavering trust in her gaze, a belief that Yohan would have a plan. That trust forced Yohan to suppress any sign of hesitation.

Taking a deep breath, he steadied his mind and reached for his radio.

“Sweeper, it’s me.”

“Yeah, you guys okay over there?”

“No. It’s an emergency. How’s your side?”

“Not a single ant out here, let alone zombies. Looks like they’ve all crawled into the base.”

Yohan let out a small sigh. The wave’s range was limited to the base. Those outside the base were unharmed—for now. At least they could use that to their advantage.

Escape wasn’t an option. They were the only survivors in this area. Fighting the source of the wave was unavoidable.

It was the worst-case scenario Yohan had wanted to avoid—a confrontation with a mutant.

And the mutants that moved in broad daylight all shared one particularly infuriating trait: no matter what type they were, they were always a nightmare to deal with.

“The best bet is to get to the ammo depot and take them down with firepower.”

They had the firepower, and there was a path. Yohan steadied himself. He couldn’t afford to let the others see him falter.

“There’s a plan. Don’t worry. For now, let’s wait for the zombies to cluster more.”

The color returned to the faces of the team members, buoyed by Yohan’s confidence. Whether the situation would turn out better or worse than expected, Yohan knew he needed to keep them calm.

Their first priority was to escape this confinement. If they could reach the ammo depot, the situation could turn in their favor.

Yohan radioed Sweeper again. The key to opening their escape route lay with him. Yohan had no doubts that they would succeed.

“Listen carefully. From now on, you’re our lifeline.”

“Oh, really?”

“Where are you?”

“Boss, that’s no way to talk to your lifeline…”

Not the time for jokes—this guy!

Yohan sharpened his tone. “Where?”

“Nine o’clock from the base. I see a building with a blue roof.”

“Good. The main gate is blocked, so the zombies are probably circling aimlessly inside. Dong-seok still has the tool kit, right?”

“Yeah, except for the crowbar and pliers.”

“Good enough. All you need is the wire cutter. Cut through the fence and get inside. Make sure to secure it again after you’re through.”

“Roger. Then?”

“Most of the zombies are clustered around the supply warehouse, so head straight to the ammo depot once you’re in. If you see any mutants, report immediately.”

Yohan quickly laid out the rest of the plan in detail, ensuring it was clear without wasting any time.

—

At the same time, outside the base, Sweeper turned to the other two.

“You heard him? Let’s go, gentlemen.”

Yohan’s instructions seemed reckless but thrilling. With his trademark enthusiasm, Sweeper began cutting through the fence.

Despite only crossing a single barrier, the tension was palpable, making the air feel heavy. Once inside, the three sprinted toward the ammo depot as fast as they could.

Upon reaching the depot, they followed Yohan’s instructions, gathering ammunition and the key items for the operation before moving to the designated point.

“Keep your presence hidden as much as possible. Zombies in a wave state are easily drawn even by the slightest movement.”

Most of the zombies had been herded north, leaving the path from the ammo depot to the supply warehouse relatively clear.

“Let’s see… the guard post next to the warehouse… there it is.”

Sweeper spotted the post with its antenna and a covered submachine gun and pointed it out. The three discreetly made their way up onto the ammo depot.

“Ready?”

“Ready. Start.”

“Damn, that’s a lot of them.”

Yohan’s plan was simple. The three would simultaneously throw grenades into the horde surrounding the supply warehouse, creating an opening for the team to escape.

Though the distance from the guard post to the warehouse was considerable, the height advantage made it easy to lob the grenades near the entrance. Even if they didn’t land precisely, the sheer noise from the explosions would create enough of a gap in the zombie ranks.