Chapter 2. Signs

Chapter 2. Signs

I met up with Seonyoung, and we arrived at the parking lot.

When I glanced back midway, the sports field was still a scene of utter chaos.

At first, company employees tried to stop those who had turned violent, but soon they, too, were scattering in every direction.

“Haaah… haaah…”

From the parking lot entrance, I peered back towards the field.

No one seemed to be coming this way.

“Phew… What in the world is going on?”

We decided to hide in a company car for now and assess the situation.

Some of the employees I’d seen near the tent on the field were definitely not normal.

“Team Leader. I couldn’t get a good look, but what happened? It looked like you knocked Minhee down…”

“Minhee and the Sales Team 2 employees were acting strangely. They were biting people, their mouths covered in blood. Their eyes were wide and white, completely unfocused…”

I recalled the chaotic situation from moments ago.

“What was even stranger was how their arms were twisted at impossible angles, yet they moved perfectly fine. It was like…”

“Exactly. That’s what I thought too. They looked just like the Zombies you see in movies.”

Jinsu seemed terrified.

His face was pale.

Anyway, what should we do now?

If they really were Zombies from movies or novels, wouldn’t it be contagious to others?

Were other regions in this same state?

Why was this happening?

My thoughts were a jumbled mess in this confusing situation, spreading out without order.

Various questions surfaced one after another.

“I’ve been trying to call everywhere, but I can’t get through to anyone. What do we do?” Seonyoung said, her voice anxious, as she continued to bite her nails.

If she kept this up, her nails would be completely ruined.

First, I needed to calm them down, then figure out our next move.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

*Boom! Boom!*

“Ah, damn it! You scared me!”

Everyone jumped at the sudden, continuous explosions.

I was about to speak to calm them down but nearly bit my tongue.

What could that sound be?

It sounded like explosions.

Was a war breaking out?

As if things weren’t chaotic enough, loud crashing sounds kept coming, ceaselessly.

‘Should we evacuate?’

I vaguely remembered hearing that in case of a sudden war, there were air-raid shelters for evacuation.

I couldn’t recall their location at all.

I regretted not paying attention during the reserve forces training lectures.

And I also knew that deep underground subway stations were designated as shelters.

Coincidentally, the grass field we rented was near an airport railway station.

The problem was that the situation outside made me hesitant to rush out for evacuation.

After all that commotion, my stamina seemed to be rapidly depleting.

“Jinsu, what do you think that sound is? It sounds exactly like bombs dropping. If it’s war, we need to evacuate.”

“I don’t know. But, Taesik… my body feels weird. I’m so cold and sleepy.”

I turned my head to see Jinsu’s eyes wandering wildly.

Moreover, he claimed he couldn’t hear the loud explosions.

He was trembling and struggling even as he spoke.

“What? What’s wrong with him? Is he sick?”

“Kyaa! Director, your arm is bleeding! What do we do…”

I frantically tore at the shoulder of Jinsu’s hiking jacket.

My heart was racing, but Jinsu’s hiking jacket was excessively sturdy.

‘Why won’t it tear… It’s damn tough. Is it a good hiking jacket?’

Eventually, I managed to peel off his layers of clothing with difficulty.

Jinsu was wearing three layers of clothes, even in spring.

“Ugh, goddammit.”

A curse word slipped out involuntarily.

After stripping off his top, a clear human bite mark was visible on his shoulder.

Half the flesh was torn off, dangling, and blood was flowing.

Was it excessive bleeding?

“Jinsu, don’t fall asleep. I think it’s because of the bleeding. Let’s stop the bleeding and go to the emergency room. Stay focused.”

“Taesik… I have a favor to ask. Can you grant it?”

Jinsu’s trembling voice suddenly became clear.

It seemed he had regained some consciousness while I was stripping his clothes and checking his wound.

But something felt ominous.

I worried it might be a phenomenon like the ‘final lucidity’ described in books.

“Of course, you idiot. First, we’ll go to the hospital, and I’ll take care of our Director. Don’t worry.”

Jinsu looked at me with wide, steady eyes, as if he had resigned himself to something.

That look made me even more uneasy.

“Taesik, listen carefully. If I got infected from that employee who bit me, I could turn like them too. I’m okay for now, but those employees also lay on the ground for a while before suddenly getting up, you know? *Cough, cough*.”

Jinsu continued, his voice quiet but strained, as if putting all his strength into his words.

“You’re the only one I can ask for this favor right now. If I do turn, please consider my words my last will and grant my request. Please.”

A rattling sound, like phlegm, mixed with Jinsu’s voice.

Feeling frustrated, I looked beside me to see Seonyoung shedding tears, utterly at a loss.

“Taesik. Pay close attention.”

As I tried to avert my gaze, Jinsu grabbed my forearm.

Despite his poor condition, his grip was incredibly strong.

“You know where my parents are, right? If you have the chance, just check on them. And tell them about me. And quickly tie me up. If I turn like that, it must mean it’s contagious… Please, you have to finish me off with your own hands. I’m sorry. This kind of request… *cough, cough*.”

“This bastard’s suddenly asking for something incredibly difficult. What are you talking about? You should be the one to check!”

I thought he was getting a little better.

He definitely was, but Jinsu’s condition began to deteriorate rapidly.

“*Cough, cough*. Hurry and tie me up…”

“You idiot! Snap out of it! Damn it, snap out of it!”

Jinsu started coughing up blood.

There were no other wounds besides his shoulder, but the hemoptysis was severe, staining the front of his shirt red.

“Damn it…”

Despite his state, he struggled to grip the seatbelt with one hand.

His hand trembled violently.

Jinsu met my eyes, urging me on.

‘Right… I can at least tie him up.’

I pushed away the ominous thoughts and decided to do as Jinsu said for now.

I could always untie him later.

I tightly wrapped Jinsu’s arm and shoulder with the hiking jacket I had stripped off him.

I thought this might also help stop the bleeding by applying pressure.

Of course, he’d feel suffocated from being unable to move.

“*Cough, cough*… Taesik, in the movies I’ve seen, the Zombie’s weakness is usually the head. You have to smash their brain or cut off their neck to stop them. And *cough, cough*…”

“Hey! Snap out of it! You’re not going to die. What are you talking about, just because your shoulder’s hurt? Damn it, why are you coughing up so much blood all of a sudden? You bastard, snap out of it!!!”

Jinsu’s eyes were turning white.

He was gradually transforming, becoming more and more like the employees who had acted strangely at the sports field tent.

I violently shook Jinsu’s head, which kept drooping.

“Taesik, one last thing… it’s a national rule to shout ‘Status Window’ once. *Cough*…”

*Grrrroooowl!*

Jinsu trembled as if having a seizure, then uttered those strange words and transformed.

Now, it was certain.

I had to accept it.

If he hadn’t turned into something like a Zombie, he wouldn’t be thrashing around, letting out monstrous growls, and trying to pounce on Seonyoung beside him.

*Thump, thump!*

Jinsu struggled violently, but he couldn’t break free from the hiking jacket wrapped around him and the seatbelt.

Seeing him merely thrashing about, it seemed his intelligence had plummeted, and his memories had vanished.

“H-huh… Team Leader. What do we do about the Director? I think he really has turned into a Zombie.”

“It’s dangerous, so let’s get out first.”

Was it because of Jinsu’s dying words?

Seonyoung and I, too, were now naturally using the word ‘Zombie.’

“Please keep an eye on the parking lot entrance. See if anyone else has turned into a Zombie or if there are any other unusual developments.”

“Yes…”

I had to accept that Jinsu had transformed.

I had to grant his last wish.

I got out of the car and asked Seonyoung to watch the other direction.

I spoke and moved with an unnatural calmness.

On the sports field, my heart had been pounding so fast, I thought it would burst, but why was I so composed now?

*Tremble, tremble, tremble, tremble*

‘No… I’m not.’

I looked down at my hands and saw I was clenching my fists so tightly that the blood circulation was cut off.

I had been trembling all along.

‘Get a grip. I have to grant Jinsu’s last wish.’

I couldn’t leave my best friend, whom I’d known for over 20 years, as a monster like this.

I took a deep breath and composed myself.

The trembling subsided slightly.

I remembered there was a wooden baseball bat in the trunk of the company car where we’d stored our belongings.

I didn’t want to pick it up again, but wouldn’t something familiar be better?

The baseball bat was something I had vowed never to touch again after suffering injuries to my body and wounds to my heart.

It was Jinsu who had comforted and guided me when I quit sports and was drifting aimlessly.

When I first started my company life, Jinsu had helped me a lot when I was clumsy and clueless.

I was grateful he helped me adapt and start anew.

*Thunk! Clack!*

I pulled the baseball bat from the trunk.

Steeling my resolve, I opened the back door.

“Jinsu. I’ll definitely find your parents. Don’t worry and rest in peace. I won’t live like a disgrace anymore. I’ll survive somehow, find your parents, and do all that. So don’t worry, and now…”

I didn’t know if I was talking to myself or to Jinsu.

I couldn’t finish my sentence.

Muttering words aloud and in my heart, I bid Jinsu farewell.

If he had a soul, I hoped my words would bring him comfort and allow him to depart peacefully.

*Grrrroooowl!*

Monster. Zombie. Yes, this was a Zombie.

We had already said our goodbyes, and I believed Jinsu had departed.

‘All that’s left is just a Zombie.’

Seonyoung’s sobs, from behind me, blended with the sound of the rain, like background music.

Jinsu… no.

The Zombie stretched its neck out, trying to bite me.

I brought the baseball bat down on its crown.

*Whoosh! Thwack!*

With one precise swing, I shattered the Zombie’s head.

Fortunately, there was no further movement.

‘Did I just say ‘fortunately’?’

“Ugh! Bleargh!”

An uncontrollable urge to vomit surged through me.

No.

I felt fortunate because Jinsu was free from being a monster.

‘He must be at peace now. No more useless worries; let’s just think about what to do next.’

Suddenly, my head felt dizzy.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed.

Jinsu’s face, as he transformed into a Zombie, kept flashing in my mind.

The sensation still lingered in the hand that had struck that monster’s head.

‘Ah…’

I tried to compose myself, to push away the encroaching sadness, but I realized I was already crying.

I covered my mouth with both hands, desperately swallowing the sounds that threatened to escape.

It had started raining.

The cruelly altered reality, accompanied by the resentful sound of the rain, felt incredibly painful.

I had fled in a daze, but at this moment, the terror hit me with overwhelming force.

This was reality.

Peaceful everyday life was no more.