By Zephyria 
“What exactly are you asking?”
“The opening. Did you find it interesting, or boring, or predictable? Any thoughts at all.”
Eden stared intently at Ha-jin’s face as he asked for feedback, then let out a weak laugh.
Ha-jin watched the dimple that appeared on his right cheek, silently waiting for an answer.
“Well, I didn’t really see much. But does it really matter in this situation?”
In other words, in a situation where every second counts, who cares about some magic show opening?
Ah, of course. This man wouldn’t say a nice thing even with a knife to his throat. Confirming his nature again like this, Ha-jin felt a little less regret about not being able to go with him. Heartless bastard….
“Ah, yes. It’s quite important to me.”
Ha-jin grinned slyly and turned back around.
❖ ❖ ❖
“What were you talking about so seriously? Did he catch you doing something wrong? You seemed so flustered.”
Mi-so asked as if she had been waiting for the moment when the child with braided hair ran back to Eden.
“…Could you see it from here too?”
“Yeah. I thought you’d turned into a doormat. Your hands were a blur from all the groveling.”
“Looks like you’re back to normal, judging by the jokes.”
Heh, Mi-so chuckled briefly and poked Ha-jin in the side again.
“So, what did you talk about? You asked him to come with us, right?”
Ha-jin swallowed the sigh that threatened to burst out and nodded.
“Yeah. But the conclusion is that he can’t come with us… I think we need to start making a plan soon too.”
“Ah….”
Mi-so nodded, looking disappointed.
“It can’t be helped. When should we make our move? Just sitting here isn’t going to get anyone to rescue us. I could hear screams earlier, but now it’s completely silent.”
Mi-so looked up at the window near the ceiling. The small rectangular window, about a hand span in size, was level with the ground outside.
“Well… it would be easier to move if we knew something about the zombies’ characteristics. In movies, they all hide at night or something.”
“Wow, you’re right.”
Mi-so snapped her thumb and middle finger together and leaned in.
“It’s already dark, should we head out soon? I don’t think I can wait until tomorrow night.”
“Now? No, no. We’ll become living corpses right away if we just go out.”
Ha-jin shook his head, barely managing to stop Mi-so, who was about to prepare to leave.
“We need to gather all the necessary weapons and find things that can be used as protective gear.”
“…Do Ha-jin, what’s gotten into you? You were trembling a moment ago.”
Perhaps because he had just been talking to an overly rational man, Ha-jin was more clear-headed than ever.
Although the horrific screams and faces of the people being torn apart and killed before his eyes were still vivid… it was obvious that these were things he would have to continue to experience until his safety was guaranteed. If his mental state collapsed now, he wouldn’t be able to guarantee his own survival, let alone save Jun-seok.
Mi-so brought Ha-jin’s attention back to her.
“Anyway, as we said before, we’re going straight to Dragon Cloud City, right?”
“Yeah.”
Fortunately, Mi-so’s hometown was on the way to Dragon Cloud City. They would part ways in the middle, but Ha-jin felt a little relieved just knowing that he had a companion.
“Let’s pack our bags and get some sleep.”
Ha-jin rummaged through the magic tools stored in the warehouse, just like he would on stage. There was plenty of rope, and he had enough tools that he had brought in case of an emergency. He picked up a heavier industrial hammer, while Mi-so grabbed a pair of pliers that fit in one hand.
Eden, who had been talking to Jeffrey, looked up and watched the two of them moving busily. As if sensing his gaze, Ha-jin’s eyes met his. The sharp Short sword he had handed over earlier was placed next to Eden.
“You can take that with you.”
Ha-jin said generously, and Eden’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t react for a moment, as if trying to analyze the other person’s intentions. He had a look of disbelief, as if he had never received a favor without a purpose in his life.
“No ulterior motive. Just take it. I have enough weapons here.”
What a difficult man. Ha-jin shook his head, and Eden, who had been looking at him suspiciously until then, reluctantly nodded.
“Thank you.”
Another unexpected expression of gratitude flew his way. He was so proper that Ha-jin couldn’t help but let out a silly laugh.
He had seemed so difficult to talk to, but now that he thought he would never see him again, he felt like a venomous wildcat character from a children’s cartoon….
At that moment, Jeffrey, who was sitting next to Eden, spoke to Ha-jin.
“Take, this me. Hammer.”
He shook the hammer that he had used to smash the zombie’s head earlier in front of Ha-jin as if to show off.
“Yes, you can have that too. I have one anyway.”
“Thanks. But me hand, you know? Why?”
“Excuse me?”
What does he mean? Ha-jin, who didn’t understand properly, rolled his eyes, and Jeffrey added.
“Heart A!”
Ha-jin, who belatedly realized the meaning of the question, let out a short sigh, “Ah.” He wanted to know the trick he had shown in the recorded video earlier.
Ha-jin replied to Jeffrey seriously.
“It’s a trade secret. If we ever meet again, I’ll tell you then.”
“What, secret word don’t know.”
Eden, who had been watching their conversation from the side, turned his head and snorted. It was a clear sneer.
The electricity went out that night. It was around the same time that the laughter of the people, who were desperately clinging to their devastated minds and whispering hopes as they made escape plans, stopped. Anxiety returned to the eyes of everyone lying on the dusty warehouse floor.
Ha-jin, who had fallen into a light sleep, woke up again because of the sound of rain hitting the ground outside the window. It was drizzling outside the very small rectangular glass window that was hardly even a window.
A crescent moon, its right side swollen, was reflected on the stagnant rainwater. Ha-jin blankly stared at the four figures moving cautiously in the dim moonlight.
Soon, the warehouse door opened. Creeaak—the rusty hinges made a chilling metallic sound, and the door closed again.
Now, only he, Mi-so, and the two sleeping couples remained in the warehouse.
❖ ❖ ❖
The sky covered in rain clouds and the desolate city were like a terrible nightmare in themselves. An ominous silence, the pattering of fishy raindrops, bloodstains scattered on the asphalt road, and crushed lumps that were probably flesh…. Everything was dark bluish-green, like a scene from a black and white movie.
In a city where all electricity was cut off, the only light to rely on was the setting moonlight beyond the gray clouds.
‘Eden, do you know what happens when it rains in the desert? Hidden flower seeds bloom.’
Leo’s rough laughter echoed like an auditory hallucination.
This dark dawn was the first since the night in the Iraqi desert. The difference was that instead of the dry, stuffy smell of blood dried on the sand, the sour smell of blood stuck to the asphalt was vibrating, and instead of an endless horizon, wide roads and buildings that sprang up like bamboo shoots blocked his view.
Eden, who was scanning the chilling desolation, checked the watch on his wrist. 4:30 AM. Considering the Transport plane that was supposed to come at 5:00, he had to arrive at the rooftop of the hospital across the street not too late and not too early.
“Uncle, the monsters… why aren’t they here?”
Jeong Byeol, who was trembling with his face buried in Eden’s shoulder, asked in a cautious voice. The same question was also blooming on the faces of the men with ropes tied around their arms.
After leaving the warehouse for the first time, they easily escaped through the back door that Ha-jin had guided them to. No grotesque creatures appeared while they were walking out, holding their breath, and they were currently under the eaves of the back door of the small theater, trying to figure out the situation.
“Maybe… maybe they just die on their own after a while?”
Park Chun-beom asked in a hopeful voice, but Eden shook his head mercilessly. Considering the internal conflict in Sudan, where he first became aware of the existence of the cannibalistic virus… there was no way it would self-destruct so easily. If it had, it wouldn’t have reappeared like a slap in the face from the other side of the world.
So where have all those grotesque creatures disappeared to now? Are they affected by light and darkness? Or temperature? All they had learned from the chaos of yesterday was that the eyes of the virus-infected zombies were all gray and they were dripping black nosebleeds. It was the same characteristic he had seen and heard during the Sudan virus outbreak.
While he was quietly racking his brain, Jeffrey urged them to get going.
[No damn zombies, how about moving slowly.]
It was simple. All they had to do was go around the back door and run to the rooftop of the five-story hospital located across the four-lane road. But for some reason, Eden couldn’t easily take a step.
“Let’s get going, Director Jeong.”
Park Chun-beom, who had been biting his nails, whispered slyly.
“…Yes, let’s go.”
In the end, Eden, who had made up his mind, lifted the child in his arms once more.