RE: Survival - Chapter 57

The four members forming the firing line in front of the supply team were visibly exhausted.

Their arms, legs, and shoulders ached unbearably, the latter from absorbing the constant recoil. It felt less like soreness and more like their limbs were on the verge of detaching entirely.

Spent casings piled up around them, more numerous than the zombies they had taken down.

Yet the zombie horde seemed endless. They pressed on relentlessly, keeping the line locked in a tense stalemate, neither advancing nor retreating.

The stench of gunpowder mixed with the putrid odors of rotting blood and corpses hung thick in the air. It was almost intoxicating, threatening to sever the last thread of their sanity.

‘Click, click.’

Danu’s rifle jammed, the mechanism clicking ineffectively. He turned to Hyuk on his side to report the issue.

“Hyuk, my rifle’s jammed. I’m switching guns!”

“Got it!”

Danu quickly relayed the situation and dashed to the nearby pile of spare firearms on the L-trainer. As he reached for a rifle, the trainer jolted unexpectedly.

“Ahhh! What the hell?!”

Danu’s scream drew everyone’s attention to the commotion. The culprit was Myung-jin, who had been incapacitated earlier by a long-range attack from David. Now zombified, he was bound to the trainer by one arm with wire, while his remaining hand clawed desperately at Danu.

Cursing, Danu threw the rifle aside and grabbed a small blade. Myung-jin had been his comrade only moments ago, but this wasn’t a time for mourning.

In this cruel world, he had already witnessed many of his comrades turn into zombies.

Gripping the knife tightly, he prepared to stab the former ally. However, an unexpected development tipped the scales against him.

‘Snap!’ The wire binding Myung-jin’s hand broke, and the zombie lunged at Danu with the added force of its sudden release.

Caught off guard, Danu was pinned under the zombie’s weight. The knife clattered to the ground.

“Argh! No!”

Myung-jin wasted no time, sinking his teeth into Danu’s neck as they hit the floor. Flesh tore with a sickening rip, spraying blood everywhere.

“Danu!”

“Aaaahhh!”

Danu’s screams were drowned in the agony of flesh being shredded. Blood dripped from Myung-jin’s mouth and hands as he tore into him.

The wire that had restrained Myung-jin had left his wrist mangled, the skin peeled away. It was a minor misstep, but it had dire consequences.

Yun Seri sprang into action, plunging her blade deep into Myung-jin’s neck to sever the spine. Despite her quick reflexes, it was too late to save Danu.

Seri met Danu’s eyes. His expression was a mix of despair and disbelief.

The scene was surreal, even for a survivor. The proximity of death, once a distant reality, now felt suffocatingly close.

Danu, unable to process his impending death, raised his arm to shield his face. He let out what could have been a sob or a sigh.

“Damn it…”

Even amidst the gunfire and zombie groans, his curse rang loud and clear.

No one could offer him words of comfort. There was no time for solace—only survival.

“I don’t want to die… Hyuk, I don’t want to die…”

Hyuk didn’t turn around. He couldn’t. Offering comfort was a luxury they couldn’t afford.

“Unni…”

Jung Eun called out softly to Seri, watching her rise with a hardened expression.

Pain lingered long, but mourning was fleeting.

Danu’s rapid transformation left no room for hesitation. His bloodied mouth and necrotic skin were undeniable signs of infection.

Seri stood, steadying herself. There could be no second mistake.

“Sorry, old man.”

Her hand trembled slightly. This was only the second time she’d killed a human, but the circumstances were different.

This wasn’t an enemy attacking her. It wasn’t even a fully transformed zombie.

But she had no choice. No one else could do it.

Drawing the revolver Yohan had given her, she aimed it at Danu. His tear-streaked face looked up at her, silently pleading for mercy.

‘Bang!’

His body convulsed once before going limp. Dark red blood pooled beneath his head, soaking into the warehouse floor.

“Sorry.”

Her apology was barely a whisper.

“Left! Three on the left! We’re low on ammo—can’t we get more?!”

Hyuk’s urgent voice echoed from the front line. Losing just one member had already shifted the tide, allowing the zombie line to creep closer.

Seri dashed to where Danu had fallen, taking his place in the supply chain. She worked with practiced precision, knowing that failing to keep up with the demand for ammunition would worsen their situation.

Though the bullets were running out faster, holding the line was more critical. If the front collapsed, the armory team would be wiped out.

Seri holstered the revolver at her thigh and unsheathed her machete.

“I’ll handle the right. Stop shooting there.”

“Okay. What about Danu?”

“I killed him.”

“…I should’ve done it.”

Hyuk’s face was heavy with guilt, as if blaming himself for failing to protect Danu. His expression mirrored that of a man burdened by failure.

“Don’t look so pathetic. You didn’t do anything wrong, so quit acting like a wounded puppy.”

With a sharp remark, Seri drove her machete into the face of an approaching zombie. The blade sunk deep into its skull, piercing the brain. She kicked the body away forcefully.

“Focus on surviving, kid.”

Hyuk’s expression hardened. Despite being the same age, Seri’s words carried a bitter truth.

“Ammo!”

Hyuk’s shout grew increasingly frantic as the ammunition supply lagged behind. The zombie line began to press forward.

Jae-ho, stationed at the far left, had no choice but to toss his firearm aside and draw a hunting knife to engage in close combat.

The central two members focused on shooting zombies advancing from a distance, while the side two tackled those that slipped through in melee combat.

Despite the team’s competence, the front line was precariously thin, constantly on the verge of collapse. It wouldn’t have been surprising if one side faltered at any moment.

Hyuk, grappling with the dire situation, pressed the transmitter button on his radio. At that moment, a transmission came through from Sweeper.

– “The second one down! These mutants are way too fragile!”

Thankfully, the main gate seemed to be holding well. Relieved, Hyuk responded.

“This is the armory. The line here is critical. We’re being pushed back. Can you send reinforcements?”

—

Kang Hajin and Yohan weaved through the camp in a zigzag pattern.

The mutant David had stationed itself atop a two-story welfare building with a sign reading, “Dedicated to Ammunition Supply.”

Though a few other buildings surrounded it, none were as tall.

Using the blind spots of the terrain, Yohan steadily approached David. Both of them were visibly winded, likely from carrying so much equipment.

“Let’s drop our gear here and get ready for combat,” Yohan said, stopping in front of a military transport truck in the building’s courtyard. He unloaded his packed backpack and replaced it with a smaller combat pack.

“Why’d you pack so much? This is heavy,” Hajin grumbled.

“Just the essentials,” Yohan replied nonchalantly.

Hajin had taken on the bulk of the ammunition, leaving Yohan free to carry other supplies. Yohan wiped the sweat from his brow and methodically unpacked his bag.

Sweeper’s team had departed ten minutes after theirs. By now, they would just be getting started. It was time to draw the mutant’s attention.

Then again, there might not even be a need. David probably already sensed their presence nearby.

Yohan handed Hajin a knife wrapped in newspaper.

“What’s this?”

“A new knife. Never been used. It’s a backup.”

“Backup knife? That’s bad luck.”

Though Hajin didn’t typically carry backup knives, Yohan viewed this as recklessness rather than confidence.

Yohan shrugged and set the knife next to Hajin’s gear.

“You know how to set up a claymore mine?”

“I saw it during reserve training but never set one up myself.”

Yohan nodded and traded his grenades for the ammunition Hajin carried.

Their arsenal included wires, five grenades, two claymores, basic medical supplies, and extra ammo.

Though the equipment seemed excessive for hunting a single mutant, it didn’t make Yohan feel any more at ease.

He quickly outlined the plan:

“First, we lure it down. Then, we analyze its combat abilities and patterns, identify weaknesses, and attack accordingly. There’s no detailed strategy—our priority is safety. If things get overwhelming, retreat immediately.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t be a liability.”

“I know, but being cautious doesn’t hurt. You’re a critical asset to the camp. Its long-range attacks are dangerous if unexpected, but once you’re used to them, they’re manageable. Getting familiar with its attack patterns comes first.”

“How do we lure it down?”

“We’ll figure that out as we go. The plan depends on your moves.”

The priority was to observe David’s abilities and patterns. While it was known as a specialist in camp destruction, there was no guarantee its close-combat prowess was equally formidable.

Yohan and Hajin stood up slowly.

There weren’t many zombies in the immediate area.

The few visible were either crawling on the ground, partially eaten, or missing limbs. Those unable to reach the armory had diverted toward this area.

From the blind spot of David’s line of sight, Yohan began taking out nearby zombies with precise gunfire to ensure their safety.

“Let’s go. Stay ten steps behind me, and don’t shoot. Focus solely on dodging its attacks. If you see a zombie, shout.”

“Got it.”

Finally, their presence entered David’s line of sight. Perched on the roof, the mutant looked down on the camp like a detached observer.

Rather than immediately hurling a massive piece of metal as expected, the creature seemed surprisingly composed.

Yohan maintained eye contact with David as he circled the welfare building slowly.

‘So confident, aren’t you?’

Yohan pulled back the rifle’s bolt. His first shot was a warning.

The rifle roared, and the bullet tore through the air, striking David’s torso.

‘Screech!’

David let out a shrill cry, sharp enough to grate on their nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

Then, with its jagged teeth, it began tearing into the building’s metal roof.

‘Crunch, crunch!’

The sound of the metal being shredded echoed as David chewed and spat out saliva-soaked chunks of steel.

“Be careful. Even a scratch from that will guarantee infection.”