Chapter 173

               

“Do you get it or not?”

Sweeper grinned, raising the corners of his mouth. The boss, stabbed in the leg, nodded his head, shaking as if in convulsions.

“If you don’t make the first move, I won’t hurt you guys. Be sure to pass that along. Get going. Let’s not meet again.”

The threat was more than enough. Especially for the man he had just injured—he’d never walk properly again, with his thigh muscle half torn.

Watching the men limp away, Sweeper scratched his head.

Honestly, he could have killed them all right here. If he considered the possibility that they’d become a threat later… wiping them out now, raiding the department store, and killing the remaining henchmen would leave no regrets.

But that would be too risky.

If he had at least two or three more agents like himself, he wouldn’t hesitate. But not now. He couldn’t cross the point of no return.

For now, the best he could do was to make himself enough of a threat that they’d leave him alone and be as prepared as possible.

He couldn’t shake off a sense of unease.

‘If only I had more trustworthy allies, I’d root them out completely.’

Sweeper sighed and slowly made his way back to the hideout, carefully checking if anyone was following him.

‘…Someone’s watching.’

Sweeper paused. It was strange. There was no presence, but he still felt eyes on him.

He slowly looked around, tilting his head, then entered an alley in the shopping district and reinforced the booby traps.

After that, he intentionally circled near the hideout before finally going inside.

Inside, the siblings Chaesu and Chaeyeon were preparing dinner.

“Sweeper, you’re back?”

The two greeted him warmly. They were companions he’d met about two months ago and had been living with since.

Their first meeting was unremarkable.

They were living here when some people, trying to escape zombies, brought a horde and broke in.

Because they got caught in the traps he’d set up, Sweeper, feeling a pang of conscience, had no choice but to rescue them. From then on, they’d lived together.

At first, they were wary of each other, but Bora brought them together.

Bora quickly became close with Chaeyeon, and Sweeper, who was anxious about leaving Bora alone to go scavenging, soon opened his heart to them as they took care of chores and watched over the little one.

Except for the fact that they insisted Bora was his daughter (even though he denied it), and that they were a little too soft for survivors, they were good company.

“Where’s Bora?”

Sweeper asked as he grabbed some food from a dish.

“She’s inside. Sweeper! Don’t eat with your hands!”

“Ahh, come on, I’m hungry.”

Her scolding, with her hands on her hips, pretending to be scary, made him laugh.

Only a year older, yet she acted like a big sister. She was a fun person. Even though it was Sweeper who kept them all fed.

He waved his hand and put the bags on the table.

“Brought quite a lot today.”

“Wow, really?”

“You shouldn’t have taken so much. Must’ve been dangerous.”

At their worried words, Sweeper mumbled as he chewed.

“That’s true, but those guys had everything wrapped up, ready for me.”

“Those guys?”

“Oh, the Goldmoon guys. Be careful, both of you. They keep crossing over here.”

Sweeper spoke lightly, but Chaesu’s arm trembled. There was a mix of anger and guilt in his voice. He knew Sweeper’s strength, but he also knew how useless he felt. He hated the feeling that he was holding everyone back, throwing his sister into danger while being helpless.

“Sorry, Sweeper. If only I could be of more help…”

“No, man. Even if you could fight, two people wouldn’t be enough. And here.”

Sweeper handed Chaesu a gun. It was the second gun, after the one he’d given Chaeyeon.

“Got it today. If something happens, use it. But not on zombies—only on intruders. The second you shoot, it’ll be hell.”

“I know. You told me already.”

Chaesu nodded grimly. He knew it meant to use it only if the hideout was discovered.

Anyway, for them to survive, Sweeper had to keep going out, and if anything happened, it would be up to the siblings to protect Bora.

“Not many bullets. Keep that in mind.”

Sweeper patted Chaesu on the back, then went into Bora’s room. She was lying on the bed, blanket pulled up to her chin, seemingly asleep.

Sweeper plopped down beside her, picked up a magazine in one hand and put a cigarette in his mouth with the other. But a small hand rested on his thigh.

“…You’re not asleep?”

“Secondhand smoke is bad. Especially for children.”

“Oh, sorry. Thought you were sleeping.”

“People breathe even while they sleep, mister.”

“Really? Didn’t know that.”

“You said you’d quit smoking.”

“Ah, I did. You nagging brat. I’m just holding it, not smoking it.”

“……”

“I mean it.”

When Bora frowned, Sweeper laughed awkwardly and put the cigarette away.

“How’s your body?”

“It hurts like I’m dying, but I don’t think I’ll die.”

“So weak.”

“…Sorry.”

She’d been sick often lately. According to Chaeyeon, it was due to malnutrition and stress, but it wasn’t that anything was specifically wrong—just that she seemed to be wasting away.

Bora wriggled and laid her head on Sweeper’s knee. He gently put his hand on her forehead. It was warm with fever.

“I went by your old neighborhood today, but there’s no decent shelter around.”

“I see.”

“All the zombies cleaned it out. There’s probably no one left. The survivors must have scattered, living like us.”

“……”

“Don’t worry. If they’re alive, you’ll see them again.”

“Yes. If they’re alive.”

Hearing her resigned tone, Sweeper flicked her forehead.

“Ow!”

“I told you not to make that old person face.”

Bora clutched her forehead and pouted.

“Go to sleep. Kids in a new country should sleep early and wake up early.”

“Don’t treat me like a kid.”

“What should I call a kid if not a kid?”

Bora, sticking out her lips, burrowed between his knee and stomach. Sweeper gently stroked her head. Soon, a quiet humming could be heard.

“You sing well, kid.”

“Hehe.”

“If the world were normal, you could’ve become a singer.”

“Singers can’t make money unless they succeed. It’s hard to succeed. My dream is to be a civil servant. Go home after work, watch YouTube, and fall asleep.”

“You cynical brat. It’s okay to dream big when you’re young.”

“It’s just a dream now, anyway.”

Bora’s voice grew softer, likely drifting off to sleep. Sweeper slowed his stroking. Her breathing became steady.

He listened to her breathing and slowly leaned against the headboard. He muttered quietly.

“Live a long, long time.”

“Yes. You too, mister.”

“…You’re not asleep?”

He felt Bora smile against his thigh. Sweeper looked at her sleeping face and exhaled as if blowing out cigarette smoke.

—

Smash! Sweeper’s hand axe shattered the zombies’ heads. Then, as he smashed up a car, more zombies swarmed. Sweeper quickly slipped away to the other side.

By now, he’d figured out zombie behavior. They found prey by sight, smell, and hearing. Of those, the easiest to control was hearing.

If he drew them with noise like this, things became much easier.

Of course, there were still things to watch out for. Especially the slow zombies who couldn’t make it to the noise source—sometimes they caught you off guard.

He’d had a few close calls himself, and a few friends had died that way. But as long as you didn’t make unnecessary noise and draw in zombies, there wasn’t much danger. He was learning how to survive in this world.

But there was one fatal threat. The rampaging zombies.

For unknown reasons, there were times when zombies went berserk like mad beasts. At first, he thought it was like werewolves going wild at the full moon, but that wasn’t always the case.

The cause was unclear, but one thing was certain. When zombies went crazy, they all moved toward one point. He had to stay as far from that spot as possible.

Whenever he checked those locations later, not a single survivor remained. All three times.

Clatter—

Sweeper put bottled water into his bag and closed the shutter. The weight of water was always a problem—more than anything else. Even if he could get by on ramen for food, water was different. Most of the ramen was expired, but that didn’t matter.

Supplies were limited, and what he could get on his own was barely enough for each day. Being picky with food was a luxury.

Sweeper finished stocking up and turned to leave. Lately, thanks to those Goldmoon bastards, he hadn’t dared venture far.

Then—

Bang!

“…?”

A single gunshot rang in his ear.

Fairly close. And the direction—

It was where Bora’s hideout was.

No way. It couldn’t be.

Sweeper sprinted at full speed. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. Three bodies came into view.

A corpse in a black suit caught in a booby trap, a dead woman with her skull crushed.

And finally…

‘Damn it…’

Chaesu’s corpse, stabbed in the thigh and mouth torn open, dead.

In his mind, a voice kept saying it wasn’t true, but the blood was growing cold.

Somehow, they’d figured out the location, triggered the trap, and used the woman to lure Chaesu out.

Why did they come out here? He’d warned them again and again not to leave.

He was a good person.

But the problem was, being good was all he had.

They’d been saved once by his booby trap, so maybe they thought they should save others in danger too.

Sweeper felt like he’d swallowed a mouthful of sweet potatoes, choking as he ran.

‘I really should have killed them all.’

In the end, it was his mistake.

He was wrong to think there was any humanity left in those trying to persuade him to join them.

No—he should have killed them all, no matter how risky. Just keeping his distance and scaring them off wasn’t enough. He’d never stop being a thorn in their side.

“……”

Inside the hideout, Sweeper was greeted by a ransacked room and Chaeyeon’s warm body, bleeding from her abdomen.

All the food and weapons were gone.

And Bora was missing.

In that moment, something snapped inside his mind.