By Zephyria 
“Don’t open your eyes.”
“Uhn.”
The boy nodded quickly. Tak, tadak…. Everyone silenced their footsteps and followed Eden, matching his pace. They went around the back door towards the entrance where the lobby was.
Regrettably, the raindrops began to grow thicker. As the sharp raindrops tapped, tapped against his forehead, Byeol, who was held in Eden’s arms, gently opened his eyes.
“Uh….”
“Shh.”
As soon as Byeol opened his mouth, a large hand covered it. Byeol was looking at the shadows of people standing silently in the dark lobby. The figures standing motionless like mannequins were so bizarre that goosebumps rose on his arms.
Are they monsters…? The boy blinked rapidly, looking at the receding small theater. His vision was blurred by the rain.
At that moment, someone cautiously appeared from the path they had just come out of. A sense of relief momentarily flickered in Byeol’s moist eyes. Even beyond the dim view, Byeol could immediately recognize who they were.
“Ha-jin and Mi-so,”
“Quiet.”
Eden, who gave another warning, ran fearlessly across the wide four-lane road. Tadak, tadak…. Byeol released his hands that were tightly wrapped around Eden’s neck and slowly stretched them out into the air.
‘Goodbye.’
Then he waved his hand with all his might. Ha-jin and Mi-so, who belatedly discovered Byeol, also waved back. After exchanging brief greetings, they cautiously turned their bodies. Ha-jin and Mi-so, who ran to the right, disappeared under a large, well-landscaped fir tree.
“Haa, we’re finally here.”
Park Chun-beom, who had somehow run ahead of Eden, stopped at the hospital entrance and gasped for breath. Although it was a short distance, everyone’s body quickly became damp. If it weren’t for the transport time, they wouldn’t have done such a crazy thing as running on a rainy road.
‘Fucking hell.’
Eden felt a frustrated annoyance at the situation, which was nothing but spiteful from start to finish. Humidity was one of the factors that had a significant impact on cleanliness and body temperature, and it was no exaggeration to say that it determined the outcome of a war. And yet, his whole body was soaked…. Now that it had come to this, they had to get on the Transport plane no matter what.
Jeffrey whispered softly.
[It’s bound to be a mess here too, but it’s strangely quiet?]
The hospital’s automatic doors were broken and wide open. Eden, gripping the weapon in his hand tightly, cautiously entered the first-floor lobby. A pitch-black darkness that made it impossible to see even an inch ahead greeted them.
“…Can I turn on my phone…flashlight? I can’t see anything….”
As Park Chun-beom whispered, Eden shook his head. Although their brains were mush, the zombies’ sight and hearing were definitely still alive. Whether they reacted to light or not had not been confirmed, so it was best not to do anything risky rashly.
“If we wait a little, our eyes will adjust.”
As he said, after a while, their eyes gradually began to adjust to the darkness. As their vision cleared, a scene they hadn’t seen before unfolded.
Right above the reception desk in front, a man in a nurse’s uniform was slumped over as if dead, and several corpses with their heads torn and broken were scattered on the navy-blue lobby sofa.
[Damn, I think I’m scared. I really need to pee.]
Jeffrey, who spat out a curse, belatedly glanced at Jeong Byeol and shut his mouth again. Eden hugged Jeong Byeol in his arms even tighter so he wouldn’t see the corpses and said.
“The power is out, so it’ll be difficult to move by elevator. Let’s go to the emergency stairs.”
“I think it’s over there.”
Park Chun-beom, pointing to the end of the hallway on the left side of the reception desk, took the first step. His steps towards the gray steel door were filled with anxiety.
“Haa, I’m so nervous.”
He could feel a dampness that was either rainwater or sweat on his hands.
Finally, they arrived in front of the emergency door. Park Chun-beom’s hand, holding the round metal doorknob, was trembling. He felt like his heart was being brutally squeezed.
While he paused to catch his breath, Eden put down the child he was holding.
“I’ll just open it, so please hold Byeol’s hand.”
Eden took the knife he had entrusted to Jeffrey, held it in his hand, and opened the door. Fortunately, the inside of the steel door, which opened smoothly, was empty. Eden, checking his wristwatch, turned around and nodded as if to say it was okay.
This time, relying on the light of their cell phones, they slowly began to navigate through the darkness, unable to see even an inch ahead.
While going up the stairs with their soaked and damp bodies, they encountered a total of six corpses. Looking closely, all of them had terrible head wounds. It didn’t seem likely that they were zombies in a state of hibernation.
“Ugh…!”
Unlike Eden, who had experienced more corpses than people on the battlefield, Park Chun-beom, an ordinary citizen, had to suppress the urge to vomit that kept rising. Even as his hands trembled, he was using one hand to cover the child’s eyes so he wouldn’t see the corpses.
Eden, who reached the rooftop, stopped in front of the door and caught his breath.
“I’ll go out first, so everyone wait here for 10 seconds.”
“Hngh, yes, yes.”
[Be careful, Eden.]
Eden slowly opened the rooftop door. The first thing that came into view was a huge helipad where helicopters could take off and land, and a small rooftop park landscaped next to it.
The heavy rain had already disappeared without a trace. He looked up at the gray-brown sky where the sun was beginning to shine after the rain, and heaved his chest, which was stiff with tension. His blood-stained dress shirt and suit pants clung damply to his body.
As the promised time passed, Jeffrey appeared.
[What is it? Are you sure there are no zombies?]
“A-Are there any monsters? Here too?”
Park Chun-beom, who closed the rooftop door last, looked around.
[I think we should check the back too.]
As if he couldn’t believe this situation was unfolding so smoothly, Jeffrey scratched his head and acted unusually meticulously. Behind the rooftop were machine rooms, the main building’s water tank, and a switchboard room.
[I’m going to go to the back now….]
Dudududu― Dudududu―
At that moment, a heavy propeller sound was heard from far away. As if by agreement, the four people simultaneously raised their heads towards the sky.
“Uncle!! Helicopter!!”
Jeong Byeol clapped his hands and stomped his feet excitedly.
[They’re right on time.]
Jeffrey swallowed his voice, which was filled with emotion, and sighed, “Hoo.” The four propeller blades were spinning rapidly, approaching closer to the rooftop. They were spinning so fast that the blades looked as if they were frozen in place.
“Ugh!”
A strong wind that felt like it would blow their bodies away blew. Eden, who turned Byeol, who was staggering, behind him, secured a safe distance and created a gap between them and the helicopter.
Dudududu― Dudududu―
Soon, a dark green Surion landed on the helipad.
“Can we go far?!”
Park Chun-beom asked Eden in a somewhat excited voice.
“At best, the flight time is a maximum of two hours. We won’t be able to go very far.”
The propellers were still spinning violently. The side door of the helicopter opened.
A man wearing a U.S. military uniform with an American flag patch leaned halfway out and shouted in English.
[Are you Eden Jeong, the CTO?!]
Eden put the Short sword down on the ground and raised both hands.
[Yes, I’m Eden! I received it with rescue code 4321!]
The soldier, who contacted someone and completed the final confirmation, nodded. The man who had been leaning halfway out of the helicopter got out completely.
Dududu―
Tension lingered on everyone’s faces due to the sound of the propellers, which made even their hearts vibrate.
[We will check for infection and then board!]
He gestured for them to come over with his long gun. Just as everyone was about to approach the helicopter after hearing the signal.
Tadadadadak…. Keureu….
Suddenly, a faint noise mixed in with the loud propeller sound. It vaguely resembled the cry of a beast lying in ambush to catch its prey. Instinctively, Byeol stopped and blocked Eden.
“Uncle.”
Eden looked down at Byeol, who was desperately grabbing his pants.
“Monster… sound…”
Before he could even recognize the child’s words, the sound of a gunshot rang out first.
Taang―!!
Everyone reflexively covered their ears and sat down at the sudden gunfire.
Tang, tang―!!!
Headache-inducing gunshots rang out in succession. Eden raised his head. He saw zombies in hospital gowns running towards the soldier.
“Kkeuaaaaaak―!!”
The roaring propellers, gunshots, and the soldier’s screams echoed deafeningly. It was instantaneous.
Jeffrey, who had grasped the situation, cursed and took care of Park Chun-beom and Byeol, who were in a panic. Jeffrey shouted at Eden, who was watching the front.
[Eden!! There are too many of them! We have to go back!!]
The soldier, who had his neck bitten, poured out blood and fired bullets aimlessly into the air before collapsing. Another soldier, who was leaning only his upper body out of the helicopter, was seen signaling the cockpit.
Eden, noticing that the Transport plane was about to leave, ran forward to stop them. Several zombies who discovered him tore their mouths open and quickly followed.