Ire took the gun he offered with a sullen expression. Then, using the railing as a support, he aimed the gun at the infected, just as Kim Ha-yoon had done. When he put his eye to the thermal scope, his face came into sharp focus inside the lens, even though it was night. When he saw the beastly fangs glinting in the open mouth, he unconsciously bit down on his lower lip.
“You’re nervous. Steady your breathing.”
He regulated his breathing as instructed, then chose one of the infected and aimed for its head. Shoot. His finger hesitated at the sound. He belatedly pulled the trigger, but missed the target and the bullet hit the ground.
The infected he had been aiming at turned its head. When his eyes met its gaze through the lens, he felt a cold sweat run down his back. Unable to bear it, he took his eye off the scope, and Kim Ha-yoon came up close behind him. His chest touched his back.
“Take a deep breath in, then exhale slowly. You have to stop when your lungs are empty.”
A sweet voice flowed into his ear. He shouldered the rifle and put his cheek to the buttstock. The target came into the lens, which was only the size of a coin, but again there was hesitation in his hand.
Focus.
Kim Ha-yoon’s single word woke him from his daze. Bang—a deafening sound rang out, and the target’s head flew off. Other nearby creatures moved their heads this way and that, searching for the direction of the gunshot.
Ire lowered the gun as it was and turned around.
His fingertips were trembling and his ears were ringing.
“I want to stop….”
“Not fun?”
“No….”
“Oh, dear. That’s too bad.” Kim Ha-yoon detached the magazine and put it in the box, and Ire shifted his gaze to where the infected were gathered. The flare was still shining brightly, but the number of infected had noticeably decreased.
Sensing something was wrong, he peered at their movements through the binoculars and almost screamed. The infected were gathering toward the research center.
“Son of a bitch.”
“Captain…. They’re coming this way?”
“Why?”
Ire was momentarily overwhelmed. Why, you ask? It’s because you were shooting, that’s why they’re coming.
“Go ask them. Why they’re coming….”
As he was meekly protesting, Kim Ha-yoon smiled and took something out of the tent. At first, he thought it was water, but on closer inspection, it was alcohol. He opened the lid and drank it without hesitation.
“What are you doing?”
“I can’t go today because of them. They’ll disappear when the sun rises, so don’t worry and come here.”
He offered the alcohol he was holding.
“Drink. It’s good stuff.”
Ire was dumbfounded and speechless.
He wanted to grab him by the collar and shake him, asking how he could swallow this right now.
“You can’t curse at your superior with your eyes.”
“Shall I do it with my mouth, then?”
He snapped back, but Kim Ha-yoon didn’t even pretend to listen. He lay down on the hammock, a bottle of alcohol in one hand and a cigar in the other, and looked up at the sky. Wow, there are so many stars. When he looked up at the sky, there really were so many stars that it looked like they would pour down. There weren’t many clear days in District B during the year, so there were few opportunities to see the stars like this.
As he stared blankly at the sky, Kim Ha-yoon tapped the hammock.
“Don’t do that, come lie down. Let’s look at the stars together.”
It was so cramped, where was he supposed to lie down? He sighed and checked the area below the building again. The infected were camped at the entrance, but they couldn’t get inside. They were just wandering around.
“Son of a bitch.”
He was annoyed and thirsty, so he tried to find water, but all that was in the box was alcohol. With a resentful look, he picked one at random and twisted the lid. He took a small sip, and it was sweeter than he thought. Was it not alcohol? He looked at the bottle this way and that, then took a few more sips.
Watching him, Kim Ha-yoon smiled mischievously.
“Be careful. That stuff gets you drunk fast.”
Drunk? It’s less bitter than beer, isn’t it? He got drunk after three glasses of beer, so he could probably drink three glasses of this. After drinking it down, he felt tipsy, just as Kim Ha-yoon had said. Even in that state, he was worried and kept looking down below.
“They really disappear when the sun rises, right?”
“Usually.”
The brightly shining flare lost its light, and Ire trudged back to his spot. Kim Ha-yoon was still lying on the hammock, admiring the sky. It was an incongruous sight. The man who had been firing a gun until just now was making such a boyish expression.
He sat down in the chair, and sleepiness suddenly washed over him. He rubbed his eyes and got up from his seat. There was a tent, so he could take a nap.
“I’m going inside to sleep for a bit….”
When he went inside and lay down, it was cozier and warmer than he had expected. He lay on his side and closed his eyes, but the feeling of pulling the trigger a moment ago and the head that had exploded before his eyes kept flickering in his mind. He tossed and turned several times, and then he fell asleep in his drunken stupor, but he felt a presence.
When he opened his eyes, Kim Ha-yoon’s face was right in front of him. The cool scent of him was mixed with the smell of alcohol. When he tried to get up, he pressed down on his shoulder.
“Sleep. It’s cold outside.”
After hesitating, he lay back down and turned to the other side. He had slept with Kim Ha-yoon in the Area C inn and at Kim Ha-yoon’s house, so he tried not to pay attention. But suddenly, an arm wrapped tightly around his waist, and his body touched his back and buttocks.
When he tried to get up because he was uncomfortable, a languid voice came into his ear.
“It’s because it’s cold. You’re still growing, so you’re fine, but I was raised preciously.”
“…”
“I’m your superior, so you have a duty to serve me.”
“I’d rather take off my clothes.”
“Unless you’re going to take off your underwear too, shut up and sleep. I’m sleepy.”
Seriously. He gritted his teeth and huffed, but his breath kept tickling his neck. Then Ire realized that something hard was touching his butt. He called out, “Captain?” but there was no answer, so he quietly reached his hand back.
“Do you have a gun in your pocket? It’s uncomfortable, so take it out and sleep.” He groped around with his hand, but something was strange. He belatedly realized that it wasn’t a gun and swore as he jumped up. He was about to go out of the tent in a fit of anger, but Kim Ha-yoon hugged his waist and clung to him.
“Let go! I’m going to sleep outside.”
“If you keep doing this, I’ll throw you down below?”
“Just throw me. I think that would be better.”
Kim Ha-yoon instantly reversed their positions and climbed on top of him. He was suddenly pinned underneath, and Kim Ha-yoon’s face filled his vision. Shh—he covered his mouth with his hand and moved his eyes to the side. He reached out and turned off the lamp on one side. The inside soon turned dark.
As he was about to ask what he was doing, a growling sound came from outside.
Ire also only moved his eyes.
“What is it…?”
He asked, lowering his voice as much as possible. At the same time, someone pressed on the tent from the outside. Ire squeezed his eyes shut at the shadow of the person who was clearly visible.
“I thought you said they wouldn’t come here?”
“I guess they heard the rumors.”
“What rumors?”
“The rumor that a pretty boy came from District A.”
“…”
All his nerves were on edge at the growling sound. The sound of things falling and breaking continued. Son of a bitch. Should he go out and take care of them? As he was contemplating, Kim Ha-yoon’s head fell straight down. He was suddenly in a state of being hugged, and he felt strange, so he pushed Kim Ha-yoon’s shoulder away.
“What are you doing? Get off.”
“I’m scared.”
“…”
“Let’s just stay like this until they leave.”
“Are you drunk?”
“Yeah.”
A man who was a head taller than him was pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe. He couldn’t stand it and was pushing Kim Ha-yoon away when the lantern nearby fell over and made a thud.
A threatening sound grew closer, and the shadow was now clearly visible. Soon after, the tent was pressed down and one side was about to collapse. He decided that he couldn’t stay like this. He kicked the body of the creature that was leaning over, and there was a sound of something being smashed to pieces.
He immediately ran out of the tent and ran to the box where the gun was stored. The infected, which had been rolling on the floor, got up and screamed as it charged at him. It came right up to his nose, and he managed to insert the magazine and cock the bolt handle upward.
Just before it could reach him, he pulled the trigger at the creature, and with a bang, its head flew off right in front of him and it fell backward with a thud. Huff, huff, his hands were trembling slightly, and he couldn’t lower the gun even as he gasped for breath.
The fallen infected thrashed its arms and legs for a long time. Then, at some point, the movement stopped completely. Ire dropped the gun to the ground and slumped down in his spot.
He belatedly heard the sound of clapping and looked up to see Kim Ha-yoon giving him a thumbs up in front of the collapsed tent. For a brief moment, he considered shooting that man with the gun as well. Praise or whatever, the terrible smell made him want to throw up first.
In the end, he had to go to the corner and throw up all the alcohol he had hastily drunk.