By Zephyria 
The air grew heavy and humid, like being trapped in a sauna. Ha-jin blinked the sweat from his eyelashes. Even with all his senses focused outward, he couldn’t help but bite his lip at the sound of Eden’s heartbeat resonating near his collarbone.
He removed the hand that was gripping his arm and placed his right palm against the rough wall next to Eden’s face, but this pose felt just as awkward. Didn’t it look like he was about to pounce on him?
Skin, radiating heat through the thin T-shirt, pressed against his. He couldn’t even step back, lest he fall and take a shower in filth.
The faint moonlight, hidden by dark clouds, reappeared, illuminating the entrance of the underpass.
“Kyak… Keeeeeek….”
Eden turned his head toward the sound. At least three zombies were patrolling near the entrance. Judging by their upright silhouettes, they hadn’t been zombies for long and still looked mostly human. Which meant that getting caught by those Aberrants would complicate things considerably.
Ha-jin whispered, resigned.
“They haven’t been dead for long, have they?”
“No.”
“Shit….”
Zombies that had decayed to some extent were significantly slower and weaker than ordinary people. That’s why they weren’t too difficult to deal with, but Aberrants freshly turned into zombies were as fast and reckless as enraged beasts. It was common sense he’d naturally acquired over the past few weeks.
“It’s been a pleasure, Jeong Tae-geon.”
“Don’t say such unlucky things.”
Eden was uncharacteristically lacking in composure, despite Ha-jin’s exaggerated farewell. It was because of the two zombies they’d faced next to the highway railing just a few dozen minutes ago.
Judging by the feel and smell of their skin, they were quite decayed, yet their strength and speed were tremendous. Whether intentional or not, they hadn’t made a sound like beasts and had silently ambushed him from behind.
‘…Evolution.’
Eden chewed on the inside of his cheek, recalling a word that had inadvertently flashed through his mind.
The zombie outbreak had only been going on for two weeks in South Korea, but that was only within the country. If the cannibalistic virus in Sudan, which hadn’t even made the news, was the same as the current virus, then this damn virus had been surviving on Earth for at least half a year.
Considering the time frame, it was highly likely that it had mutated and evolved. However, it was impossible to predict the extent of that threshold or how the virus’s momentum would change in the future.
While he was imagining the worst-case scenario in his head, the ceiling of the underpass shook as if it were about to collapse.
Rumble!!
Zombies were running and walking, surrounding the underpass. If the Aberrants pushed their way into the underpass, they would be helplessly devoured in the filth.
“Ugh, cramp.”
Just then, Ha-jin whispered in a strained voice. Eden looked down, but there were no rats to be seen.
“Where’s the rat?”
“No, no. In, in my leg.”
Ha-jin was squirming as if he was about to fall backward.
“There isn’t one?”
“Not that kind of rat! My, leg, cramp… Ugh!”
Ha-jin pounded on Eden’s chest, frustrated. They couldn’t guarantee their survival even if they stayed still, and the uneven ground kept causing his foot to slip.
Standing on the balls of his feet, he instantly felt a throbbing pain all the way up to his waist. The toes inside his shoes were curled up and couldn’t even be straightened. He couldn’t bring himself to ask to be held, and his brow furrowed deeply.
Eden wrapped his arms around Ha-jin’s swaying waist, who was struggling to hold on. Their bodies were pressed together seamlessly, from chest and stomach to lower body.
“Lean on me.”
At the toneless voice, Ha-jin didn’t even have time to worry about appearances and placed his hands on Eden’s shoulders.
“Relax completely.”
Nodding frantically, he buried his face in Eden’s infraclavicular fossa. He lifted his cramped right leg slightly and supported himself with only the strength of his left, causing his body to tilt precariously.
“Hoo, ugh… Thank you.”
It still felt like he was about to die from the pain, but thanks to Eden’s firm hold on his upper body, he felt a little more relieved.
“Ugh… Ha….”
Ha-jin gasped for breath, cursing his curled-up soles and toes.
Just then, Eden chuckled softly. Ha-jin didn’t miss the meaningful laughter and glanced up at him.
“What?”
“It’s nothing.”
After giving him a suspicious look for a while, Ha-jin lowered his head again. While they waited quietly for the storm to pass, they remained frozen like statues, relying on each other. But the zombies continued to circle around, waiting for their prey to come out on their own, showing no signs of backing down easily.
The number of shadows reflected on the underpass floor was also increasing. One of them even came into the underpass and stimulated their nerves with strange interjections like, “Keueok, keueok!”
“Heeu….”
As time passed, even his left leg, which was bearing all the weight, gradually began to feel numb. Eden, noticing Ha-jin’s pain, whispered.
“Let’s sit down and relieve it.”
“S-sit down? Here? How?”
They were in a dilemma, unable to move forward because of the zombies in front and unable to move backward because of the filth behind. As Ha-jin looked puzzled, Eden slowly bent his knees. Naturally, Ha-jin’s knees followed suit.
Ha-jin swallowed a horrified groan as he realized his intention. He was already mortified to be standing face-to-face in an embrace, but now he was about to sit face-to-face with Jeong Tae-geon. With his butt pressed against his crotch, no less.
“Jeong Tae-geon, Jeong Tae-geon? Even so, this position is….”
As he desperately tried to stop him, the zombies seemed to notice the slight noise, and their presence increased. Ha-jin inhaled sharply and shut his mouth.
Eden sat down, pressing his body as close to the wall as possible, and adjusted Ha-jin’s awkwardly crouched knees. Ha-jin’s neck flushed red as he ended up sitting face-to-face in an embarrassing position.
Even though he tried not to be conscious of it, he could clearly feel Eden’s firm penis beneath his thighs. This was already the second time he’d been in such an embarrassing situation.
Just imagining what kind of joke Jeong Tae-geon would use to tease him exhausted him.
But contrary to expectations, he was silent. He should have said something cheesy like, “Stop rubbing,” or, “Did you want to crush me that badly?” but his tightly closed lips didn’t open at all.
It was an unexpectedly subdued reaction, considering he was supposed to be nervous about the zombies being so close. Jeong Tae-geon was usually quick to raise his disgusting branch, no matter if a zombie was passing by him or not…. Of course, the penis tucked to the left was still hard enough now.
Suddenly, his paralyzed soles and calves tingled, sending electric shocks all the way to his lower back.
“Ayaya….”
Ha-jin groaned and wiggled his lower body. The aching pain in his pelvis made it impossible to endure the pain any longer. This time, his penis was touching his butt instead of his thighs, but he didn’t have the energy to care about such physical contact right now.
He massaged his right leg, which was stretched out to the side, starting from the calf. He massaged it with all his might, to the point where it felt like self-harm, and the stiff muscles gradually softened. His numb toes finally began to wiggle at his will.
That’s it.
Cold sweat streamed down his face. Just as he was putting on the shoes he had taken off and sighing in relief, he felt a soft sensation on the left side of his neck. It was the tip of Eden’s nose and lips.
“…….”
Ha-jin’s eyes widened. Eden mumbled, his nose pressed against his frozen body in surprise.
“Let’s stay like this for a moment. I’d rather die from the smell than be bitten to death by a zombie.”
It was as if a child was complaining. Ha-jin didn’t know how to react and could only blink his wide eyes. He swallowed hard, making a loud noise without realizing it, at the breath tickling his neck.
He had been wondering why the man, who would have said anything, had been so quiet all along; it seemed he was suffering from nausea from the smell of the filth.
Come to think of it, the foul smell was much stronger now that they were sitting down than when they were standing. Once his sense of smell opened up, he felt like throwing up from the inside. The cramp in his foot, which had felt like he was going to die, was gone, but now the stench was the problem.
“Ugh.”
Ha-jin, likewise, put his nose near Eden’s ear to survive. The unique scent of his skin and the faint smell of sweat tickled the tip of his nose. He sniffed without realizing it, and Eden burst out laughing in disbelief.
He didn’t ask why he was laughing this time. It was obvious that he, too, found this situation awkward and absurd. Ha-jin buried his nose deeper into Eden’s hair. He could feel the arms wrapped around his waist tightening.