By Zephyria 
#Side Story 1
“Captain. Here!”
Ire stopped at Gilsu’s voice. The rest of the team did the same. Old debris crumbled each time they passed a wall. The building, of unknown construction date, was on the border between area c and Zone D, and it was quite large. In front of it was what appeared to be a pool used for swimming.
The interior, where not a single ray of light penetrated, could only be navigated with the aid of a night-vision scope. Ire gave the order to halt at the faint rustling sound coming from ahead. When they aimed their guns, there was an infected.
At first, he thought it was a child. Upon closer inspection, its upper body was completely bent, its head reaching down to the floor in a bizarre shape. It made a ghastly, phlegm-filled sound, yet it could not easily lift its head.
Psh- The fired bullet struck its head, and it immediately collapsed to the floor. After a confirmation shot, he approached to properly assess its condition. It had been infected for a long time, emitting a terrible stench, its hair was sparse, and its physique was so emaciated that its bones were visible.
Seeing one leg chained with an iron chain, it was presumed to be used to guard the entrance or chase away intruders. Alert to his surroundings, he used the stairs to go up, and a long corridor appeared, with doors numbered in a row along it. As expected, this place had been used as lodging in the past.
They searched each floor like that, but nothing special was found. But as they reached the top floor, suddenly a sound came from deep inside the end of the corridor. The team members quickly hid behind the walls.
-What was that just now?
-Don’t you hear a strange sound?
-I heard it too.
No sooner had the words been spoken than the sound gradually grew closer. He realized it was quite different from the sounds made by the infected. A little heavier and sharper. Like the sound of metal scraping against each other.
The floor slowly vibrated, and what appeared from afar was not a person but an animal. Ire had seen something similar before. In the sewers when he was in the military. Kim Ha-yoon had said it was Kim Do-cheol’s pet.
-See, what did I tell you? I said there was something strange!
Gilsu, who had come to investigate this area first, shouted. Just one? It stood there, staring this way as if searching. In the midst of the tense confrontation, the thing turned its body. Was it running away? Just as he was about to give the order to attack, the sound echoed through the corridor, and the things poured out from inside.
As he gave the order to fire, flames erupted from the gun muzzles, and sparks flew in all directions. Bullets struck the bodies of several monsters, sending them flying. When he shouted to aim for the head, the ones at the front fell like dominoes.
The things charged not only through the corridor but also along the walls. With their ferocious momentum, their lives could be in danger. Ire stretched his hand forward. The moment he used his power to stop them, a strong energy burst out from the opposite side, creating a tremendous wave in the middle.
His body was pushed back as it was. Ugh! The team members next to him fell backward and collapsed to the floor. Captain! He shook off Jang-cheon, who was supporting him, and steadied himself. Before he knew it, blood was streaming down his nose under the night-vision scope.
“Captain, are you okay? Damn it! What was that just now?”
Ire couldn’t answer. The things that had been rushing in madly were already returning to the door they had come out of. Ire caught his breath and stared only at the opposite side.
“Should we chase them?”
He snatched Gilsu’s shoulder as he was reloading his gun.
“Let’s go back.”
“What? Just leave those things?”
Ire was firm. Like someone who knew that staying here any longer could endanger the lives of the team members.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly wrong. How about doing a separate examination?”
“I’m fine.”
Ire said, putting on the clothes he had taken off, and looked at the man. He was the old man who had saved Kim Ha-yoon’s life when he was dying a few years ago. The man who dug tunnels underground and helped people with nowhere to go had now become an indispensable doctor here.
Zone D had rebuilt the hospital with the support of district a, and some doctors were dispatched here as medical equipment was brought in.
“Fine, my foot. You bled from your nose, didn’t you?”
Ire sighed at Kwon So-young’s voice coming from behind. He had told them to keep it quiet, but Gilsu had spilled everything in the meantime. Kwon So-young had volunteered to support Zone D from district a and had been staying here for more than half a year already.
Unlike the stuffy and boring district a, there were still infected near Zone D, and it was because there were plenty of things needed for her experiments. It wasn’t a good intention, but since she was there, the help he received was significant, so he couldn’t just refuse.
As he came out of the examination room and walked, Kwon So-young walked side by side with him. Patients were visible everywhere along the corridor. It was woefully inadequate compared to district a, but it was enough that there were still hospitals to go to and doctors to operate on if they were sick.
“Don’t tell Kim Ha-yoon.”
“We’ll see.”
Ire frowned at the ambiguous answer. If that human found out about this, he would probably come running right away. Even now, he crossed over to Zone D without fail on his days off. There were still many people here who were uncomfortable with him or harbored animosity. Apart from receiving support, the grudges that had built up over time wouldn’t disappear overnight.
“Are you going back there?”
“We’ll see.”
Kwon So-young chuckled at the same answer.
“I have a question.”
“Tell me.”
“Could there be another person like me?”
Kwon So-young made a strange expression. She had mentioned that possibility several times before. At the time, there were many experiment subjects in the laboratory, and Ire’s mother was said to be one of them.
The other experiment subjects were either stillborn or died after childbirth, but Ire was the only one who survived. He had been told that many documents were lost in the fire at the time, so he couldn’t know more details.
“Why are you suddenly curious about that? What did you see there?”
Ire kept his mouth shut. Gilsu must not have told her that far. In reality, there had been reports that many infected were being discovered, and he had gone to confirm it, so Kwon So-young would definitely only know that much.
“No. Just….”
He stopped talking and stopped walking. A helicopter was approaching in the distance. He immediately recognized it as Kim Ha-yoon. At least there wouldn’t be a human who could come and go here so confidently by helicopter. Ire frowned and looked at Kwon So-young.
“Not me. Really. I swear.”
Looking at her expression, she seemed sincere. Ire sighed quietly. Did that human plant a listening device somewhere? Or a camera? He looked around without realizing it. Or there was a spy inside.
Of course, even if it was a spy, they would only be reporting his situation.
A moment later, the helicopter landed in an empty lot, and he strode over with his long legs. Judging by his cold expression, he could guess what he was coming with. As soon as he arrived, he checked Ire’s condition first.
“Are you okay? Let me see.”
He even lifted up his clothes, making him embarrassed, so he gently pushed him away. Kwon So-young frowned at the sight.
“Am I invisible?”
Oh, hello. Kim Ha-yoon greeted him without even looking at him and then brushed Ire’s hair back.
“You’re sure you’re not hurt anywhere?”
Ire was embarrassed and subtly dodged. Kwon So-young shook her head and clicked her tongue.
“If you’re so worried, just keep him with you. Don’t fly all the way here every chance you get.”
Just then, a message came through the messenger. A helicopter had landed nearby, and it was Kim Ha-yoon. The first time he flew in by helicopter, they almost mistook him for an enemy and shot him down, but now they just assumed it was Kim Ha-yoon. The leader was using a combat helicopter as he pleased. He sometimes criticized him inwardly for being unqualified.
Kim Ha-yoon playfully wrapped his arm around Ire’s neck and pulled him toward him.
“Kwon So-young is saying something right for once in a while. How about it? How about we live together?”
When he tried to get out, he tightened his grip. It hurts. A little. I told you to stop. Ire was horrified and broke free because he was pecking at the top of his head with his mouth. Kim Ha-yoon chuckled and laughed, probably because his face was red from struggling.
Kwon So-young shook her head as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have and was disappearing into the distance. Ire looked around, worried that someone might have seen it. He was afraid of other people’s eyes whenever Kim Ha-yoon treated him like a child.
He warned with his hand as he tried to approach again. Don’t come. Walk separately.
But he wasn’t the kind of human who would listen.