By Zephyria Yohan’s face turned ashen. Among the myriad of abnormally and grotesquely shaped Monsters, Red Heads were rare ones that appeared regularly across the globe. They always emerged in medical facilities, their most distinctive feature being heads resembling the red flashing lights on an ambulance. This led to theories that they were creatures that lived near hospitals, mutated by influences from memorable experiences.
WEEEEEENG-. WEEEEEENG!
Seeing their kin die, the Monsters’ heads flashed red, emitting strangely distorted siren sounds. Yohan flinched, stepping back and instinctively pressing himself against the wall. Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-muk let out a snicker and charged at the Red Heads instead.
Amidst the scattering red light, Lee Hyun-muk and the Red Heads became entangled. Sharp claws and teeth, meant to tear and kill the intruder before him, glinted white. Yet, none of them managed to touch Lee Hyun-muk’s body.
Among the pack of dangerous red-haired wolves, Lee Hyun-mook thrashed with a ferocity and savagery even greater than the Monsters. His heavy fists crushed and shattered the wolves’ bones and legs. He tore through skin and flesh, ripping them apart with his bare hands. Watching him fight, Yohan’s face grew progressively paler. Lee Hyun-mook was a hundred times more terrifying than the Red Heads.
In just about 10 minutes, Lee Hyun-mook had finished off all the Monsters, which would be classified as at least Grade 5 on the 10-tier danger scale. He truly lived up to his reputation as a world-renowned High-level Awakener. Yohan swallowed hard, his mouth dry.
‘He’s crazy, but at least he seems to have some semblance of reason left.’
Red Heads were Monsters whose heads should not be burst due to strong corrosive fluids. As if aware of this fact, the Madman only burst their torsos. As a result, only the Monsters’ heads lay on the floor, feebly flashing red light. As Lee Hyun-mook began to move again, Yohan, feeling like he could cry, walked across the space between the giant flashing light heads.
“L-Lee Hyun-mook-ssi. Let’s go together…”
Terrified Yohan followed, calling out in a voice trembling like a goat’s. Lee Hyun-mook, who had been walking as if to ignore him, suddenly stopped. Then, with a vacant look, he stared at the ruined emergency room and did nothing.
“Lee Hyun-mook-ssi…?”
Only then did Yohan recall that Lee Hyun-mook had been a doctor before his Awakening. As a resident, he might have been moved by some scene in the emergency room, lost in thought. Feeling a pang of sympathy, Yohan fumbled through his bag and handed him a precious chocolate bar, as rare as gold. Lee Hyun-mook stared blankly at the chocolate bar in his hand.
“I’ll look around here for a bit. Please eat that…”
While Lee Hyun-mook quietly munched on the chocolate bar, Yohan began to survey the emergency room, which was illuminated by the flashing red lights of the Red Heads.
The emergency room still bore the traces of the frantic situation from the Rift incident a month ago. Overturned mobile beds, torn curtains, scattered unknown debris on the floor, and dried, dark red bloodstains… Yohan shivered as he searched the surroundings.
However, after a long search, all he found were a slightly dented but seemingly usable scalpel and sterile gauze that no longer appeared sterile. Yohan dejectedly wrapped the sharp scalpel blade in gauze and put it in his bag. Without even disinfectant, his leg began to ache more intensely. He hobbled out of the emergency room.
Now, the Red Heads’ lights were also gradually fading. And before Yohan lay a hospital corridor from which suspicious noises occasionally emanated. Swallowing dryly, Yohan hesitated before taking out his treasured flashlight from his backpack. As he flicked it on, something unidentified crawling in the hospital corridor quickly scattered with a rustle. Seeing that sent shivers down his spine.
“It’s not a cockroach that big, is it…?”
He asked, on the verge of tears, but Lee Hyun-mook remained blank, like an idiot. Feeling even more forlorn, Yohan hesitated before hobbling towards the corridor. The only thing he could rely on was the sound of Lee Hyun-mook’s footsteps following him with a squelching sound.
“Do you happen to know where I can find medicine?”
He asked, but again, there was no answer. Sighing, Yohan looked ahead again and jumped. In the darkness, the glowing eyes of some monstrous creature were watching him. Startled, he stepped on a rather large piece of debris and fell face-first.
“Ack!”
Yohan let out a short scream as he tumbled down. It was because his already injured leg hit the floor first. The pain was so intense that his wound felt like it was burning, and tears welled up again. Suppressing the pain, Yohan lifted his head and flinched. Lee Hyun-mook was standing right beside him, looking down at him. His gaze was unnervingly blank.
“Ugh…”
In that moment, he thought of his family and friends. In the same situation, they would have offered words of concern and comfort. But the only person by his side now was a corrupted Madman. The thought struck him so deeply that Yohan’s eyes welled up with tears again. He felt incredibly miserable but wiped his tears with his sleeve and staggered to his feet.
“…Since I’ve gone through all this trouble, I wish I could find some painkillers too, sniff.”
Yohan spoke persistently, knowing he wouldn’t get an answer, and hobbled away with a severe limp. Lee Hyun-mook slowly tilted his head as he watched him go.
Yohan dragged his aching leg, wandering through the hospital. The already complex structure of the hospital was dark, making him feel like he was lost in a maze. After wandering for a long time, Yohan discovered a staircase leading to the upper floor. Hesitating, Yohan cautiously ascended the stairs.
Surprisingly, the second floor was even more complex than the first. With a sigh, he carefully surveyed his surroundings, his flashlight beam landing on some lettering. A large sign was obscured by numerous dirty smudges.
[…Phar… (4) Dentistry (5) MR▉om (6) In-house Pharmacy (7) Myo● Bank…]
“Hey, it’s a pharmacy!”
It said ‘In-house Pharmacy,’ but seeing the missing final consonant, he was sure it was a pharmacy!
Yohan’s face lit up, having finally found his target. Just as he was about to stride forward powerfully, a rough hand snatched him and dragged him away. Startled and stiff, Yohan heard a low bass voice in his ear.
“Shhh…”
“Hic, huff…”
Yohan, practically trapped in Lee Hyun-mook’s embrace, turned off his flashlight and curled up. They lay flat on the landing between the first and second floors, holding their breath. In his tension, he didn’t even feel the pain in his abdomen pressed against the corner of the stairs. How long had they waited like that?
CREEEAK…. RUMBLE…. CREEEAK…. RUMBLE….
A rolling sound could be heard from afar. Terrified, Yohan squeezed his eyes shut and trembled. Lee Hyun-mook covered him more fully, making him almost invisible. Lying flat on the stairs, his eyes, sunken in darkness, began to glow with a red light.
CREEEAK…. RUMBLE….
What could it be? What was coming? Yohan, sweating cold sweat, opened his eyes. Trapped between Lee Hyun-mook and the stairs, all he could see through the narrow gap was a wheel. A wheelchair wheel, making noise, passed by the sign where Yohan had stood moments before. Then, the wheel stopped for a moment. Yohan swallowed a scream.
A worn, rusty wheelchair led the way, followed by countless legs. They resembled human legs, but the feet that touched the ground were unpleasantly soft and fleshy. CREEEAK, when the wheelchair was pushed for a long time, unlike the wheels, multiple legs moved smoothly across the floor without a sound. It was like a giant centipede…
After a few minutes, which felt like ten years, the sound of the wheelchair faded into the distance and could no longer be heard. Only then did Lee Hyun-mook release Yohan. Yohan, drenched in cold sweat, staggered up the stairs as if he could barely stand. He desperately wanted to run out of the hospital right now and return to his relatively cozy dwelling to eat canned ham.
However, the slight fever that had started before coming to the hospital seemed to have worsened, and now he was experiencing chills. Having come this far, Yohan decided to muster more courage. He held his breath and rechecked the directional signs.
‘Section (6) was the in-house pharmacy. According to the map, (6) is near the MRI room…’
After confirming the location several times, Yohan moved, trying not to make any footsteps. He checked the signs intermittently to avoid getting lost. After passing the Department of Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dermatology, ▲ Department, and the MRI room, Yohan finally found the in-house pharmacy.
Next to a large sign that read ‘Medication Counseling Room,’ he saw a counter where medication was dispensed. Yohan looked around and approached with a trembling heart. He tried to open the door, but only heard a rattling sound; it wouldn’t open. With a groan, he had no choice but to crawl up to the counter. Then, his face brightened.
Fortunately for him, it seemed this hospital had not been looted. The medicine cabinets were packed with vials. This, in turn, meant that the Monsters in this hospital were dangerous ones. Yohan shone his flashlight on the medicines with trembling hands. And he was flustered.
“What is what medicine?”
To Yohan, whose knowledge extended only to Tylenol, Aspirin, and antiseptic solution, the dozens of medicine vials and boxes filled with tiny print were utter chaos. Flustered and flailing, Yohan finally grabbed a medicine vial and was trying to read it when…
CREEEAK…. GRRRR….
A chilling sound made Yohan jump. Unlike him, who was pressed against the counter wall, Lee Hyun-mook, for some reason, did not hide with him this time. Yohan, not knowing what to do, frantically gestured to Lee Hyun-mook from beyond the counter. And he called out repeatedly in a voice as small as an ant’s.
“Lee Hyun-mook-ssi! Hurry and come in here!”
He stamped his feet, but Lee Hyun-mook remained unresponsive, staring blankly into space. CREEEAK… GRRRR…. Finally, a wheelchair appeared from the darkness. KIRIIRIK…. As the wheelchair rolled towards them, Yohan’s eyes widened.
“Huh? Why is it just the wheelchair…?”
The moment he muttered this, a monster attached to the ceiling with a squishy foot attacked Lee Hyun-mook. Only then did Yohan see the full body of the monster that had been pulling the wheelchair.