Chapter 4 - Intimidation (4)

Fwish!

Flames roared to life in the distance.

The dark night was painted with red flames. For a moment, Boyeon's vision widened, and the zombies swarming the streets were imprinted on her retinas. Those creatures, with eyes bursting red and sharp fangs, were no longer human. She realized their proximity and numbers, and goosebumps spread across her skin as if insects were scuttling over it.

Human-sized figures, standing tall like totem poles, snapped their bones towards the source of the sound. The street instantly transformed into a relentless inferno. They shrieked and surged towards the flames, waves of human flesh and bone tumbling grotesquely through the air.

Crack! Crack!

'That thing' saw me.

Its bloodshot eyes were not on Dokyung, but solely on Boyeon.

I'm going to die, just like this.

Boyeon felt as though she would be crushed under the feet of the frenzied zombies, or devoured. It was a dizzying fear.

Flick!

A dark figure darted past Boyeon.

"......!"

"Don't scream, or you'll be bitten," said a voice, casual and detached.

Boyeon suddenly realized she was gazing down at a horde of zombies from above. The zombies let out terrible screams and reached for her, but to no avail. Dokyung was scaling the building's exterior wall with her clinging to his back. A zombie that had leaped through the window plummeted from above.

"W-when did..."

Boyeon watched in awe as Dokyung swiftly ascended the moment the flames burst forth. He was always one step ahead of the zombies' reactions, which was the sole reason they hadn't been overtaken. The number that flashed before her eyes was too many to count. Without Dokyung, she would have been oblivious, and Boyeon would have undoubtedly been captured by the zombies, meeting a gruesome end.

Rather than waiting for the zombie horde to disperse, Dokyung fearlessly climbed the building's outer wall with no safety measures.

He's just using his bare hands...

He utilized parts of the building like window cracks and pipes on the exterior walls for grip and leverage. Since the building wasn't intended for such a climb, this task was extremely demanding. With one hand, he could bear the weight of two people, his forearm muscles taut and the veins on the back of his hand throbbing intensely.

The ascent was swift. The unhesitating increase in altitude was dizzying. They had just surpassed the fourth floor, 11 meters up, where the fear in humans peaked.

Upon reaching the fifth floor, where the pharmacy resided, he extended his hand to enter the building. Their bodies swung dangerously like a pendulum. The brisk breeze was bone-chilling. It felt like a scene from a thriller that Boyeon would have found terrifying on screen, now playing in front of her in real life. She realized her breathing was shallow.

"Close your eyes."

Dokyung's whisper came as he noticed her ragged breaths. The embrace around his neck tightened. Boyeon, not wanting to cause any trouble, clenched her eyes closed, longing for the ordeal to be over.

Dokyung rested his hand on the open windowsill and kicked off to enter. He landed nimbly, surveyed the interior, and gently set Boyeon down. Due to the recent uproar, it seemed the zombies within the building were descending.

"Now, you may cry."

"......"

Dokyung teased Boyeon, stroking her soft cheek. She seemed on the verge of collapsing from an overwhelming sense of helplessness, which would have occurred had Dokyung not been supporting her trembling body.

Grrr. Screech. Screech!

The ghastly sounds of the creatures echoed ominously throughout the city, accompanied by the noise of an explosion.

"W-What is happening out there?"

"A decoy. It's easier to operate if you keep them on one side."

This implied that the fire was set intentionally. The city's night was not as silent as its day. Occasionally, lights flickered, or human screams echoed between the darkened buildings. The city seemed to tremble, caught in the throes of commotion.

"There are human screams too; I keep hearing them..."

Those close to the fire were in peril, and many would perish, victims of the same human selfishness. Yet, Dokyung remained indifferent to the chaos outside. He was unconcerned about whether others burned to death or not.

"......"

With no response from him, she felt powerless. There were no police to summon. She closed her eyes tightly, attempting to shut out the distant cries. Guilt flickered across her eyelids.

"Come on, let's go...."

After a moment, Boyeon realized that Dokyung had gone inside on his own. She hurried after him, clutching the hem of his shirt, following like a chick. It was both troublesome and frustrating to see her act cluelessly. Yet, Dokyung did not shake off her hand that was knotted in his clothes, nor did he leave her behind.

Dokyung was the first one to locate an inhaler.

"This one?"

"Ah! Yes, that's it."

With trembling hands, Boyeon accepted the inhaler. Despite feeling guilty for taking it without permission, she hastily opened the package, trusting they would forgive her due to the urgency. The bitter powder coated her throat, and a wave of relief washed over her. Her previously erratic breathing finally steadied.

"Thank you...."

Boyeon let out a soft whimper and whispered. Dokyung's gaze lingered on her before shifting away. Together, they collected the remaining inhalers and completed their raid of the pharmacy. They had chosen the pharmacy over the first floor on purpose, yet it was evident that looters had been there before them. The stock of disinfectants and antibiotics was alarmingly low, with Dokyung finding nothing but empty boxes.

"They're all gone."

Thunk.

The paper box, fluttering to the ground, bore the word "CONDOM" in English.

"......"

Boyeon's eyes trembled as she looked at Dokyung. The fact that he was searching for condoms was surprising enough, but the realization that others had also prioritized taking condoms was even more so.

"The reason I'm treating you so well – you haven't forgotten, have you?" he whispered softly.

When their eyes met, Boyeon was terrified by his gaze. A deep pressure gripped her heart.

A deal had been struck between them. Dokyung had saved Boyeon's life, stood by her in peril, and procured her an inhaler. He had proven his worth. Now it was Boyeon's turn to fulfill her part of the bargain.

"Answer me."

His eyes were like the jet-black barrels of a gun. Outside the window, a horde of zombies swayed in a lethargic dance. Boyeon understood; she couldn't make it on her own. The world beyond the bunker was harsher than she had ever imagined.

"I-I haven't forgotten..."

That's when she spotted birth control pills. She hadn't gotten her period for three months due to stress, so she thought she should take care of it if she could.

“This is because I haven’t had my period for three, three months….” Boyeon whispered in despair, unaware of her own mutterings. As she tucked the contraceptives into her backpack, her face flushed red with shame. The need for survival had eclipsed her moral compass, and the pills accumulated in her backpack.

Dokyung gently eased the tension burdening Boyeon, who was fraught with nerves.

Click-pop.

A succession of muffled gunshots echoed at brief intervals.

The sound was notably subdued, a result of the K-7 silenced submachine gun paired with the 9mm subsonic rounds. Among the zombies restrained on the stairs, only the ones in proximity detected the muted noise and advanced. Yet, the long-range firing left them unable to discern the origin of the sound, and they were systematically eliminated.

Each shot followed another, each bullet finding its mark in a zombie's forehead with unerring accuracy. There was a certain calmness in the rhythm of the shots.

Could this also be attributed to keen eyesight?

Indeed, sharp vision is a prized trait for a sniper. But given that he was scaling the building's exterior wall with his bare hands, his proficiency in hand-to-hand combat was apparent as well.

Boyeon cautiously descended the stairs, the sounds of zombies collapsing under gunfire echoing around her. Unable to see him, she gripped the handrail, her hand slipping in the wet, sticky blood that coated it. The putrid stench was nauseating.

"Weakling," Dokyung muttered, detecting the irregular breathing behind him. He didn't turn, keeping his eyes ahead.

"I-I'm sorry," Boyeon stammered.

Despite the chaos, they were making good progress, even if Boyeon felt more like a burden than an asset. She was in awe of Dokyung's formidable combat skills, having yet to encounter the mutants but witnessing the relentless defeat of the zombies.

Dokyung was a living arsenal, equipped with immunity, night vision, and martial prowess. Assessing the full strategic worth of a man like Joo Dokyung was becoming increasingly complex.

Boyeon's thoughts wandered as Dokyung carried her to safety, exiting the building with ease.

What a blessing to be protected by a man like Dokyung, and who among the survivors of a Seoul night gone to hell wouldn't want him?

Even if that protection is cold and merciless.

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Translator's Corner:

WOOHOO END OF ARC 1!!! Next chapter is the start of the second arc!

things aboutta get spicy spicy hehehehehe