EP 3. The First Day of the Apocalypse. Trapped Alone with My Mom's Friend. (3)
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
"I know you're in there! Hurry up and open the door! The bleeding, it won't stop…"
I decided to stay silent instead of opening the door for the man in 704.
If my guess was right, the rude neighbor pounding on the door would soon turn into a zombie.
'Even if he doesn't turn, we can't afford to take on an injured person right now.'
So, just as I gestured to Auntie to stay quiet by putting my finger to my lips, the banging on the front door suddenly stopped.
Instead, a bizarre sound, hard to believe came from a human, began to echo.
Crack! Grrk! Grrrghhh!
Bones and muscles twisted, and there was a harsh, ragged sound like a windpipe being torn.
Gripping our weapons tighter, Aunt Hyeyeon and I kept our eyes on the front door.
After a while, there were occasional thumps against the door, then suddenly, silence.
But the tense silence didn't last long.
A low, animalistic growl and the sound of teeth clacking came from outside the door.
"Grrrr… click! click! click!"
"Ugh…"
Just as expected, the neighbor had turned into a zombie and was making chilling noises. Auntie shivered and let out an involuntary whimper.
Worried that the (former) neighbor, (now) zombie, might notice us, I quickly reached over and covered her mouth.
I could clearly feel her soft lips on my palm, but she realized her mistake and immediately went quiet.
"…"
We both held our breath, focusing on the zombie outside the door for about twenty seconds.
"Grrrrk…"
Step… step…
After lingering at the door for a while, we heard it walk down the stairs.
Once even the sound of footsteps faded away, Auntie and I finally let out the breaths we'd been holding.
"Phew…"
Auntie gently touched her lips, which I'd just covered, and whispered softly.
"Sorry, Minwoo. I was so startled, I couldn't help it… I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."
She apologized for letting out a sound just before.
In the process, I caught sight of her moist lips that had just touched my palm, and the voluptuous curve of her breasts pressed together by her arms…
My 'generosity' surged, and a gentle smile appeared on my face.
Soon, equally gentle words followed.
"Auntie, you don't have to apologize so much. Anyone would react like that in this situation. Just don't make the same mistake next time, right?"
Once again, it was clear that big breasts are the best tranquilizer.
About ten hours had passed since the first zombie appeared in Seoul.
A lot had happened as the sun set and darkness fell.
To list the events in order:
First, a fire broke out in the restaurant on the first floor of the building across from Kim Minwoo's apartment, and then the zombie infection began to spread uncontrollably.
As the chase between zombies and humans continued, more bloodstains appeared on the roads, and within ten minutes, there was no sign of 'people' on the streets.
This wasn't just around his house; the same was happening all over Seoul, and in fact, all across the country.
Through news and NewTube, these horrific scenes were broadcast live nationwide.
[Alright, everyone put your phones away and focus! You have a mock exam next week.]
[Ah, teacher! How can we have class in an emergency like this~]
[Quiet. When you differentiate in this equation…]
[Bam! Kieeeek!!]
[What the hell is that!]
People walking down the street were attacked, and even in schools, zombies burst in during class and tore into teachers and students.
[The violence that started in the metropolitan area is rapidly spreading nationwide… uh, uh… aaaaaagh!]
Even reporters and cameramen on the scene were attacked on live broadcast, forcing everyone watching to face reality.
The reality that their world was ending in a zombie apocalypse.
As people's hearts were consumed by despair and fear, a sharp, hopeful sound rang out across the city.
Tatadat! Bang bang!
Normally, gunfire would cause panic and fear, but now, it felt more reassuring than anything else.
The military and police had been urgently deployed to bring the situation under control.
The gunfire grew closer and more intense.
Survivors hiding nearby began to share a common hope.
'Maybe the military can wipe out those monsters. Guns and tanks should be able to kill them, right? That means I can survive?'
But that hope didn't last long.
Bang!…
Suddenly, like the climax of a song, gunfire and explosions rang out, then, as if it were a lie, everything went silent after the final gunshot.
After a brief silence, zombie screams echoed between the buildings again.
Seoul had fallen to the zombies, and it was the moment when survivors had to fend for themselves.
Nearly five hours had passed since the last gunshot at dusk, and I was looking down at the burned-out skeleton of the shopping center through a gap in the curtains.
'At least our apartment didn't catch fire. Otherwise, we'd have had to go outside to avoid burning to death…'
Crackle, crackle.
Under the still-glowing embers and a few undamaged streetlights, I could see what must have been hundreds of zombies gathering, drawn to the light.
Their eyes, completely blackened without any whites, glistened in the light.
Crack! Thud!
A thick branch from a tree, burned down to the trunk because it was right next to the building, snapped.
A heavy branch fell with a thud onto an SUV covered in black ash below.
Suddenly, the car-otherwise undamaged-blared its alarm.
Beeeeep! Beep! Beep!
The sharp alarm shattered the night's silence and filled the street, and the zombies, who had been staring at the light, all turned toward the SUV at once.
Kreeeeek!! Guuuuurgh!!
Unlike their previous stillness, they now howled and charged wildly at the car.
Soon, the zombie horde, looking like a wave, swarmed the vehicle.
Their howls, the sound of metal being struck, and the car alarm all mixed together.
I watched this and compared it to the information I'd gathered earlier.
'Just as I saw online-they react to light and sound.'
After the neighbor-turned-zombie left, I checked our food supplies with Aunt Hyeyeon, then immediately started gathering information about the current situation.
Luckily, the internet was still working, so we searched news and social media by every means possible and managed to gather a few key facts:
Seoul and other major cities across the country have fallen to zombies. Only Busan, Jeju, and islands not connected by bridges are still safe.
If you're bitten or infected by zombie fluids, you turn within about 1–2 minutes.
Unless there's a major injury, a zombie's physical abilities are similar to or slightly better than before infection.
Zombies are highly sensitive to light and sound (likely related to their blackened eyes).
There were also rumors that the military guarding the DMZ was preparing to move south, and claims that if you amputate the bitten area quickly, you won't turn.
[If you get bitten by a zombie, you won't turn if you amputate quickly.]
That's it. I'm a real doctor, and I saved a patient by amputating their arm.
I'll take questions, but I might not see them all because I'm busy.
↳ For real?
↳ Lol, can't believe people fall for this. It's obviously fake.
↳ (Author) Who are you to say it's fake?
↳ Then post a photo or video as proof, idiot. If you're a doctor, I'm the president, you moron.
…
After reviewing the information we'd gathered, the situation I was in became even clearer.
My mind shifted to the most urgent problem.
'How long will electricity and water last…? Especially, if the water stops, that's a disaster.'
Water is essential for survival.
With Seoul and the whole country overrun by zombies, it wouldn't be surprising if the water stopped as soon as tomorrow.
We'd filled the bathtub and every container with water, but if the supply was cut, we wouldn't last even two weeks.
That meant we'd have to go outside to "farm" (scavenge).
Strangely, instead of fear or worry about the zombies, I was more concerned with the 'efficiency' of scavenging.
'Still, at first, it's better to search only inside the apartment, even if it's less efficient. If we go outside and that many zombies rush us at once, we're finished.'
Clearly, something about my mindset had changed.
Just as I started to feel uneasy again,
Aunt Hyeyeon, who had been dozing off beside me, saved me.
"Mmm…"
I turned at the faint moan from my left and saw her figure in the dim light.
Her beautiful face, slightly furrowed as if having a bad dream, and her body, still showing off its curves even as the world ended.
On top of that, the strong scent of a woman from not having had time to wash all day brought my mind back on track.
I don't know if it's normal to feel desire for your mom's friend, but at least I was glad to be free from that unpleasant feeling.
As I watched Aunt Hyeyeon dozing on the sofa,
The clock on the wall changed to "00:00," marking the end of the first day of the apocalypse.
Bzzz.
At that moment, my phone, which I'd left on the sofa, vibrated.
On the brightened screen, a notification from an app I'd never seen before appeared.
[Milf Collector – Tutorial Quest Complete.]