Zombie Apocalypse Whiteout - 12
EP12. Welcome to Zombie World (4)
“What the hell is this guy?”
The sheriff looked at Jin-woo with the same kind of glare he had given Min-gu earlier.
“Why’re you suddenly spouting that creepy stuff?”
“Of course. The guy who was beating up my friends like that, if it were you, sheriff, you’d have done the exact same thing,” Jin-woo replied coolly, showing no change in emotion. The sheriff furrowed his brow deeply and pondered for a moment.
“Maybe so…”
But Yu-bin seemed to accept that explanation without much resistance.
“Well… if someone had said that to me before, I might’ve gotten chills. But haven’t we all changed a little? With the world being like this, it’d actually be stranger if we hadn’t.”
The fact that several corpses lay just beneath their feet, with no one flinching or avoiding them, was clear proof. Back then, it would’ve been horrifying, skin-crawling, even, to look directly at such a scene.
“Anyway, we can save that kind of talk for later. Let’s focus. Looks like those zombies that were here earlier are moving over there.”
With his back to the Han River, Yu-bin looked toward the road and pedestrian crossing behind the subway station. Being able to see the other side from here meant the zombies occupying the apartment complex could be patrolling this way as well.
“This side’s a blind spot from that suspicious café over there…”
Yu-bin took a few steps toward the subway station for a better look when,
“Hey! Get out here!”
The sheriff roughly grabbed his shoulder.
“Ugh!”
Before Yu-bin could react, he fell backward hard onto his butt. At the same moment,
CRASH!
The sound of shattering glass echoed loudly as shards and something else tumbled down. It was a zombie jumping down from the second floor of the subway station.
BOOM! THUD!
The first zombie landed shoulder-first on the ground, followed immediately by two more lunging forward.
ROOOAAAR!
With a fierce roar, they charged at Yu-bin and the sheriff. Though the first zombie’s shoulder and ankle twisted oddly during the landing, it didn’t seem to slow it down in the slightest.
“You gotta be kidding me.”
The sheriff stepped in front of Yu-bin, raising his hammer high.
SMASH!
The first zombie’s jaw and neck shattered simultaneously, and its body lifted off the ground. Using the hammer’s momentum, the sheriff ruthlessly slammed into the chest of the second zombie.
CRACK!
The zombie’s ribs broke, its body bending like a bow as it was pushed backward. Meanwhile, the third zombie closed in, just a meter away.
CRACK!
The sheriff twisted his body slightly, delivering a lightning-fast sidekick to the zombie’s knee. As the zombie’s leg bent the wrong way under the heavy boot, the hammer came crashing down on its skull.
CRACK!
With a sickening sound of the skull shattering into pieces, the third zombie collapsed right where it stood.
BANG! BANG!
Jin-woo, who had quietly moved to the side, shot the heads off the first and second zombies just as they tried to get back up.
“Hah…! Hah…!”
Watching green brain matter drip from the zombies’ heads, Yu-bin panted heavily. In the brief moment he had fallen and tried to stand again, the sheriff had fought three zombies in close quarters, and Jin-woo had repositioned and taken out two more. The difference in their talents was striking.
“You okay?”
The sheriff checked on Yu-bin’s safety.
Yu-bin nodded.
“Hah…! Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.”
“Hey… if that had been your real arm, it’d be completely wrecked.”
The sheriff looked at Yu-bin’s left hand with mild surprise.
“Huh?”
Yu-bin glanced down. His left prosthetic wrist rested on a life jacket covered with fishing hooks. Just as the sheriff said, if it had been a real hand, it would have been pierced through by several hooks. Luckily, the prosthetic was high-end and still intact. There were a few deep scratches, but nothing serious.
“So don’t yank it like that next time, Sheriff.”
Jin-woo said as he helped Yu-bin up. The sheriff raised his voice in protest.
“No, what else was I supposed to do when Yu-bin just kept striding that way without a care?”
“Well done, Sheriff. But… how did you know the zombies were going to jump down? I didn’t hear a thing.”
Yu-bin dusted himself off and asked.
“They were all moving and flickering, visible from up there by the broken glass window.”
The sheriff pointed toward the shattered large window. Yu-bin followed his gaze.
No way anything could be visible from that angle…
Even after the explanation, it still didn’t make sense. The sheriff must have an incredibly wide field of vision compared to an average person. Or maybe he’s just incredibly sensitive to subtle signs. When Yu-bin looked at Jin-woo with a ‘Did you notice that too?’ expression, Jin-woo shook his head. He could sense zombies nearby through some sort of sixth sense, but here, surrounded by zombies everywhere, the alert was constantly going off, making it useless.
“No, I didn’t see it either. Not until the sheriff shouted.”
“So, it’s just reflexes, huh? Anyway, thanks to you, we’re alive. Whew…”
Yu-bin pressed his prosthetic hand to his chest and caught his breath.
Click.
“You okay?”
Min-gu’s voice came through the radio. He’d probably heard the gunshots and got worried. Yu-bin steadied his voice and pressed the transmit button.
“Yes, man. Don’t worry. It’s all taken care of.”
“Don’t go leading the charge next time.”
The sheriff gave Yu-bin’s stomach a concerned poke.
“Yeah, yeah.”
Yu-bin raised his hand in acknowledgment. He knew he had to stay calm, but for a moment, he forgot how far from strong he really was. It was protocol not to walk right under buildings like this, but because the sheriff and Jin-woo were right beside him, he had been careless, thinking it wouldn’t be a problem.
“Think they’re still hiding?”
Yu-bin muttered anxiously as he looked up at the subway station jutting out above them. He should have been used to it by now, but after facing zombies so close, his heart still raced like it was about to burst. He wondered if he’d ever be as calm as the sheriff, Jin-woo, or Min-gu.
The sheriff finished scanning the entire second-floor glass window and replied.
“Nothing moving now.”
“Let’s just finish the setup and get out of here. Man, that was intense…”
Wiping sweat from his forehead, Yu-bin checked his watch. The stopwatch he’d started when leaving the suspicious café showed over 25 minutes had passed. That was more than enough time for the zombie hordes covering a six-kilometer radius to circle back here.
“Where should I hang this?”
The sheriff asked as he started loosening the clothesline. Yu-bin pointed at four pillars thickly wrapped in ivy, one by one.
“There, there, and then around that side, like this…”
Drawing a large diamond shape in the air, Yu-bin pulled out the foil mats and spread them out.
“Won’t that almost block the whole path?”
The sheriff followed Yu-bin’s instructions but looked completely baffled about the purpose.
“The paths here are way too wide, so we narrow them on purpose. That way, they have to brush up against these.”
Yu-bin finished his explanation and gathered the scattered folding tables and plastic chairs, pushing them into a pile. This was another kind of lure, to herd the zombies in one direction. Of course, some would just trample over it.
“Well, I guess you know what you’re doing.”
The sheriff hurriedly ran between the pillars, tying the clotheslines tight. Yu-bin laid the foil mats on the taut lines and secured them with cable ties. Then they hung balloons attached to fishing hooks. Just as they were about halfway done, Jin-woo suddenly raised his rifle and stepped forward urgently.
“Stop what you’re doing! They’re coming!”
No sooner had he said that than zombies entering the passage spotted them and started roaring.
RROOAARR! GRAAAH!
Their howls bounced off the narrow corridor walls, amplifying several times over. Hidden in the darkness of the underpass, the exact number was unclear, but it was definitely not small. And the louder they got, the more likely others would join in.
“Just grab the bikes and go! Forget the balloons!”
Jin-woo placed his finger on the trigger and looked through his scope. He could handle the ones in sight alone, but what mattered was how many more might come after.
BANG! BANG BANG! BANG! BANG BANG BANG! TANG!
Jin-woo’s K-2 blazed away, the gunfire echoing against the underside of Cheongdam Bridge and its pillars, filling their ears. Zombies rushing out of the passageway suddenly dropped like flies. As they emerged into the sunlight, Jin-woo’s bullets found their marks, straight through their heads.
CLINK!
Yu-bin clipped the life jacket with balloons still attached onto the clothesline, locking the clip in place. He didn’t want to waste all the time and resources they had invested. If luck held out, those balloons would still get carried off by the zombies.
CRACK!
The sheriff quickly moved to the bike rental spot, untangling the mess of bikes before lifting three at once with ease.
Bang! Rat-tat! Rat-tat!
Jin-woo was still unloading 5.56mm rounds toward the subway exit. He’d already swapped magazines once, and after two more shots, this one would be empty too.
“Stop shooting and get on this!”
The sheriff approached from behind, holding out a bike. Yu-bin was already sitting on his, waiting.
“Got it!”
Jin-woo gave two shots to the two zombies who’d just stepped into the sunlight, then slung his K-2 with the fresh magazine over his shoulder. He quickly hopped on the bike.
“Go! Go! Go!”
The sheriff gave the signal and started pedaling fast. The bike seat and handlebar were way too low for his size, he looked like a kid riding a stolen bike, but there was no time to adjust. Using his well-developed muscles, he hammered the pedals hard.
Clack-clack-clack-clack!
As they descended a gentle, short flight of stairs, the unpadded seat slammed into their behinds. The three friends ignored the pain and focused on keeping speed and balance. If they messed up a turn, they’d fall straight into the Han River.
Wheeeeee!
Once they cleared the stairs and hit the bike path, the advantage of riding kicked in fully. The roughly 300 meters to the café by the water suddenly felt much shorter, and the chasing zombies no longer seemed so scary.
Arf! Arf!
Sam-suk, running fast beside Jin-woo, barked excitedly. This was his first time out like this, and he didn’t care about human worries, he was just having a blast.
“Back when I was biking through Gangwon Province…”
Jin-woo shouted, speeding up alongside the sheriff.
“...I almost got caught and killed by other soldiers!”
“Hey, what kind of story is that to tell right now?”
The sheriff gave Jin-woo a sideways look like he was watching some kind of freak. It was surprising to hear such ominous talk so casually, especially with Jin-woo smiling brightly.
“I’m just remembering that time! I’m happy! My wish back then was to meet you guys and ride around like this!”
The man who’d fulfilled his wish grinned ear to ear and leaned forward.
Wheeeeee!
He pushed the bike faster along the road.
“Oh yeah? Want to race?”
The sheriff, fired up by Jin-woo overtaking him, pedaled as hard as he could. The too-low seat was no match for his power.
“Waaaaah!”
Yu-bin, not wanting to lose, pedaled fiercely too, crossing his legs in the effort. He could accept losing to his two friends, but not to Sam-suk, who was running ahead, glancing back with what looked like a mocking grin.
Whooooosh!
A strong headwind blew in from the northeast, hitting their faces hard. But even the fierce wind couldn’t slow down the three friends’ spirited sprint.