By Zephyria 
The sky, which had been dragging around dark clouds, finally began to pour down rain.
Normally, Eden would have considered resting even at the slightest drizzle, but with his group not far away and the special nature of zombies avoiding rain, he risked a forced march.
Fortunately, Ha-jin followed his lead silently, without showing any signs of difficulty. However, the moment they hid in a neighborhood convenience store to eat lunch, Ha-jin’s body collapsed unexpectedly while he was leaning against the wall.
Thump…! Eden, who was looking for food, turned his head in surprise at the sound of the falling items. Ha-jin, whose knees had buckled and was sitting down, scratched his head sheepishly.
“Oh, sorry. I slipped.”
His voice was low and cracked as he made excuses. Eden strode over and placed his hand on Ha-jin’s forehead. He had noticed Ha-jin’s face was unusually flushed for the past few days, and it seemed he had finally fallen ill.
The hand touching his forehead felt as if he were holding a hot pack, burning hot. His face also looked more swollen than usual, indicating that his condition was quite serious.
Come to think of it, it was a wonder that he had endured the arduous journey that had lasted for about a month. Whatever the case, they could no longer continue moving.
“Let’s rest here today.”
Ha-jin moved his reddened lips.
“No, it’s only lunchtime, and the others might be nearby, so let’s move quickly and…”
“If you insist like that, we might be delayed even further. Listen to me.”
“Then let’s go for just one more day and then decide after checking my condition…”
A somewhat cold voice interrupted Ha-jin’s words.
“Do you think we can go faster if you push yourself?”
“…….”
“If it gets worse, the distance we could have covered in one day will take several days longer. Stop being stubborn and rest when I tell you to.”
Trying to appease him kindly would only lead to an argument. Seeing Eden’s more fierce demeanor than usual, he hesitated and finally nodded slowly.
Whine… Whimper…. Pie, noticing Ha-jin’s unusual condition, paced anxiously in place.
As his feverish eyelids drooped, Eden’s hand, which had been on Ha-jin’s forehead, now cupped under Ha-jin’s chin.
He examined the face in his hand from every angle before straightening his bent back.
After a moment of consideration, Eden left Pie by Ha-jin’s side and went outside the store.
Braving the drizzle, he searched for a 10-story apartment building with only two units. The lower floors were already a mess, as if someone had ransacked them, so he had to climb the external pipes to the 3rd floor.
The house, which he entered through the veranda, was perfect for spending the night, except for the signs of someone having packed their belongings to evacuate. After quickly assessing the spacious bed and the remaining household items, he opened the locked front door.
Eden returned to the supermarket and carried Ha-jin, who was collapsed on the floor, on his back. Although Ha-jin had lost a lot of weight due to the hardships, the weight of a tall adult male’s basic frame was considerable.
Huff— He steeled himself and lifted Ha-jin’s body.
“Do Ha-jin. Are you okay?”
“Ugh….”
“Put your arms around my neck, or you might fall.”
However, Ha-jin couldn’t open his eyes easily. His hot breath tickled the back of his neck.
“This is driving me crazy.”
To safely support Ha-jin, who had completely slumped, he eventually gave up the umbrella and set off. He tied the cloth around his chest and securely wrapped Ha-jin around his back.
The drizzle turned into a downpour as they approached the apartment entrance. Swish— The fierce rain soaked the two of them and Pie.
Should he be grateful that at least no zombies appeared?
Eden bit his lip anxiously, feeling Ha-jin’s breath getting hotter and hotter.
After arriving, he immediately stripped off their soaked clothes. Ha-jin seemed to be regaining consciousness intermittently, muttering something that tickled his ears.
“…I… am…”
“Just stay still. I’ll wash you quickly.”
Ignoring his own repeatedly aroused member, intoxicated by Ha-jin’s scent, Eden quickly cleaned Ha-jin’s body with the water in the bathtub that the previous owner had likely drawn.
The clock on the bedside table was already pointing to 6 PM.
It had already been four hours since he had forcibly opened Ha-jin’s body, which kept curling up, complaining of the cold, and lowered his temperature with a wet towel. Only after confirming that the goosebumps that had risen on his delicate and firm skin had subsided did Eden let out a sigh of relief.
Ha-jin’s condition was worse than he had thought. He had lowered the fever for now, but since he hadn’t taken any medicine, it wouldn’t be strange if something else went wrong during the night.
Eden quietly blamed himself for his carelessness in not thoroughly checking Ha-jin’s condition earlier.
“…….”
Wheeze, wheeze. Taking comfort in Ha-jin’s breathing, which was more comfortable than before, he got up from his seat. He had intended to make a simple porridge with the food he had brought from the supermarket, but unfortunately, there was no portable gas burner.
Since he had to get medicine for Ha-jin anyway, he hurried to prepare to go out. It was the time when the zombies, who had been hiding because of the heavy rain, would be out and about. He had to return before darkness fell.
“Do Ha-jin, stay put with Pie while I’m gone. I’ll just look around and be back soon.”
“Ugh…”
He was worried about leaving the sick man behind, but he would be back before Ha-jin woke up. Eden roughly stroked Ha-jin’s damp forehead and left the room with Pie.
❖ ❖ ❖
Ha-jin’s eyelids, which had been twitching for a while as if he were having a nightmare, suddenly lifted.
“Hah…!”
As an unfamiliar ceiling filled his vision, he blinked blankly and raised his heavy upper body. Tick-tock, tick-tock…. Except for the sound of the ticking clock, the surroundings were excessively quiet.
Unable to distinguish between dream and reality, he stared blankly for a while before turning his gaze to one corner of the room. In the large full-length mirror, he saw himself sitting on a cool summer blanket, wearing clothes he had never seen before.
At that moment, his temples throbbed. It felt as if someone was banging a large gong next to his ear, and the throbbing sensation continued. Soon, a hot breath escaped.
‘…What?’
Ha-jin bit his lip as if he were doomed, sensing his unusual physical condition.
‘If it gets worse, the distance we could have covered in one day will take several days longer.’
Belatedly, Eden’s fierce voice echoed in his head. The last place he remembered being was definitely a shabby neighborhood convenience store.
He had no memory of when he had been moved to an unfamiliar home and gone to sleep.
“…Jeong Tae-geon?”
Eventually, he grabbed his dizzy head and got up from his seat.
“Pie?”
When he opened the tightly closed door, a silent living room greeted him. He searched the bathroom and veranda, but could not find any trace of Jeong Tae-geon and Pie.
“Is anyone there?”
Had they gone out for a while?
Ha-jin swallowed nervously and turned his head to look at the sunset illuminating the living room. He had no idea what was going on.
He clutched his empty stomach and leaned against the living room wall. In one corner across from him, a soaking wet cloth and various foods that had spilled out from it were scattered.
Tick-tock, tick-tock…. The world was excessively quiet.
Unable to bear the awkward silence, Ha-jin bit his lip tightly in anxiety.
…Where could they have gone, even taking Pie with them? It wasn’t like they had gone to get food, as there were already enough groceries from the convenience store, and the refrigerator was overflowing with bottled water.
‘Ah, maybe.’
He wondered if they had left a note, so he got up from his seat. He didn’t even notice the heat rising to his fingertips as he turned the house upside down, but all he found were dust bunnies with tangled hair and miscellaneous household items.
‘Surely they didn’t abandon me because I was sick.’
A terrible assumption briefly crossed his mind, but that was it.
No matter what, he was someone who cherished his comrades. He had said that their lives were now dependent on each other, so he wouldn’t do such a cruel thing as to abandon a sick comrade.
He calmed the faint anxiety in his heart and returned to the room, hiding under the blankets. This time, between his confused mind and the pouring sleepiness, the faces of his younger brother Jun-seok and his group, who would be waiting for him, sprang up like springs.
Why did he have to get sick at a time like this…? He was on the verge of going crazy with impatience, but as Eden had said, ignoring his physical condition could delay them for several more days.
He consciously succumbed to sleep, pressing hard on his throbbing temples.
But when he opened his eyes again, he was still lying alone in the empty house. The room, which was already dark, was like a pitch-black cave where he couldn’t see an inch ahead.
“…Jeong Tae-geon?”
His voice, which was hoarse, echoed and returned to him.
“Pie?”
It was the same this time. No answer came from anywhere. It was as if he was trapped in a coffin with no light coming in.
Jeong Tae-geon, who had said that moving at night was dangerous and never went out after sunset, had finally not returned.
Soon, a bewildered curse escaped from Ha-jin’s mouth.
“What the fuck…?”