The monster, which was slightly larger than a person, likewise moved according to Baek Hyeonwoo’s command. Structures resembling ribs repeatedly spread apart and contracted on its back as though breathing, and tangled tentacles like a ball of thread writhed where its face should have been. Eyes were densely embedded across their surface.
When Kim Heeyeon screamed and ran away, the creature looked back at Baek Hyeonwoo as though asking what it should do, and he crooked a finger with a smile.
“Aaaah!”
At once, finger-sized insects sprang out from all around the flower shop and wrapped themselves around Kim Heeyeon. The threads looked as though they would snap with the slightest pull, yet they were so tough that all four of her limbs were bound in an instant.
Thud, even when Kim Heeyeon fell flat on her backside and shed a few tears, Baek Hyeonwoo did not look sorry. He merely crouched down across from her and met her gaze.
“There are people who arrived before you, so introduce yourselves and get along.”
“Waaah, please spare me……!”
“Ah, since they’re from the same town, you might know them. They’re a doctor and a nurse who worked at the hospital by the intersection.”
“I don’t have anything! I’m serious!”
“Don’t scream too much once you’re outside. If zombies chase after you, our children will move so they can’t keep up, and then you might get motion sickness. You’d be the only one losing out then, wouldn’t you?”
“No, no, aaaargh! Don’t come near me! Huaaagh!”
The gigantic insect that had approached at some point began gathering up Kim Heeyeon, who was sitting collapsed on the floor. It carefully gripped her waist with its long legs and laid her on its back, then secured her body firmly with the rib-like structures and smeared sticky liquid from its tentacles all over her.
“Wait, wait a moment. Just wait!”
“Then I’ll see you next time.”
“Spare me, aaaaah!”
Baek Hyeonwoo opened the door for them himself and playfully waved both hands like an employee sending someone off on an amusement ride. Of course, there was no way Kim Heeyeon, who was hanging on its back, could see that.
Swoooooosh-
And by the time her screams had completely faded into the distance, it began to rain. Ah, should I have at least put a raincoat like this on her? Baek Hyeonwoo left the flower shop with a smile. If the rain was striking her full in the face, it would be difficult for her to scream, so the creature carrying Kim Heeyeon might actually have an easier time.
He carefully searched every corner in case any more humans were hiding, but by now, the only things that appeared were zombies. Seeing how quickly the town had become completely empty, this place might also have been one of the first points where zombies began appearing.
“This isn’t the time to be excited about having him all to myself.”
Baek Hyeonwoo lowered his eyebrows and sighed. He had known from the moment the first zombie appeared that things were going strangely, but after walking around trying to find information, he felt the seriousness of the situation even more. It was enough to make him feel foolish for trembling with joy at the thought of traveling alone with Sihyeon.
Still, if this was one of the first points, he should be able to find even a small clue. Thinking that, he began moving around diligently once again.
“This is really…….”
However, even after wandering around for several hours, he did not obtain a single piece of meaningful information. There was no unusual smell, nor anything that felt out of place. There was one thing that bothered him, though…….
“What do you think?”
At Baek Hyeonwoo’s question, one of the insects perched on his shoulder blinked its eyes. It meant that it did not know. He replied, “Same here,” and lightly lifted the clothes rolling around on the floor before setting them back down.
The thick and coarse gray fabric was made into a one-piece garment, with long zippers running along the back and sleeves. The unusual part was that the zippers on the sleeves had been made to open all the way up to the shoulders, while the zipper on the back could be lowered until the garment separated entirely.
This was clearly clothing made for a specific purpose, and Baek Hyeonwoo knew where similar kinds of garments were usually used.
“This isn’t something that should be in a place like this.”
Still, it seemed best to remember it just in case. Only after committing everything to memory, from the texture of the fabric to the stitching, the shape of the zippers, and even the strange scent lingering on the clothes, did Baek Hyeonwoo return to the hospital.
Rumble-!
The moment he entered the lobby and took off his raincoat, a sound that seemed capable of tearing his eardrums burst from the sky. It’s really pouring. Is a late typhoon coming?
……Or perhaps it was Mother’s will.
Baek Hyeonwoo frowned and looked up at the sky. The way the wind was blowing was ominous.
It seemed they would have to postpone leaving tomorrow. Whether it was a typhoon or a tsunami, neither posed any threat to Baek Hyeonwoo, but the fragile youngest could catch a cold from getting only slightly wet.
Then there was no choice but to spend time alone together in an enclosed space. Baek Hyeonwoo lightly shook the water from his wet hair and hummed as he headed toward the hospital room where Baek Sihyeon would be waiting.
Why isn’t he coming?
After tossing and turning on the bed for a long time, I sat up in surprise at the sound of rain, and when thunder began to rumble, I went so far as to stand by the window and look outside.
Of course, even then, I could not see anything except when lightning flashed briefly, but it was still better than sitting still. If only my phone worked, I could ask where he was and when he was coming back.
But I could not exactly open the window and shout, so as I nervously paced back and forth in front of it while chewing on my lips, I heard footsteps coming from the corridor.
It’s my eldest brother, right?
Of course it’s Baek Hyeonwoo. Who else would it be?
Even as I thought that, perhaps because of what he had said before leaving, I could not feel certain. The footsteps drawing closer were heavy, accompanied by the squelching sound peculiar to wet clothes.
The closer the presence came, the more violently my heart pounded, and cold sweat ran down me. Even though it was not cold, my body trembled helplessly.
Then lightning flashed so brightly that I wondered whether the sun had risen. The instant I frowned from the sudden glare, I saw the shadow of something standing beyond the corridor.
“…….”
Rumble-
It was not human. I had not been able to see it properly because it had only been for an instant, but there was no way that shape could be called human.
Feeling every hair on my body stand on end, I reflexively took one step backward. What do I do? What should I do? When is my brother coming back? No, if my brother runs into that monster in the corridor…….
Knock, knock
A sudden wave of dizziness struck me.
“Sihyeon, I’m coming in.”
It was not a zombie or a monster. The moment I recognized that gentle, affectionate voice, the strength left my legs. Before I even had time to answer, I collapsed onto the floor. What little energy I had left drained away all at once as though it had been swept out of me, and I could not even breathe properly.
The moment my shoulders sagged without me managing to say a single word, the door opened, and Baek Hyeonwoo hurried over in alarm. He dropped to one knee and carefully held my face in both hands.
“What’s wrong? Are you all right? Did something happen?”
“……I, I thought the thing outside wasn’t you.”
“Did you hear something strange?”
“No…….”
All I could do was shake my head. Baek Hyeonwoo seemed to quickly realize the state I was in, because instead of asking more questions, he prioritized moving me onto the bed.
Then he gently massaged my trembling hands. Even though he did not properly know what had happened, he kept soothing me, saying, “It’s all right, I’m here now. Hm?” Only then did I barely manage to answer in a small voice that I had seen something strange when the lightning flashed.
“Its shape was strange, so I thought it was a monster…….”
“The shadows of the things left in the corridor must have overlapped.”
Only after hearing that did I realize that I had been far too tense and sensitive. Even though I had decided to empty my mind, there seemed to be nothing I could do about being naturally timid. I had always been more easily frightened than other people, but still, when I was young, no, in my previous life, I did not think I had been this bad……. It seemed the incident that had caused my death had affected me far too deeply. Haa, when I let out a sigh of relief and let my shoulders droop, my brother stroked down my back.
“I should have come back a little earlier. I’m sorry.”
“It’s only because I’m a coward. And it’s raining more heavily than I expected…….”
“That’s right, and there’s thunder too.”
Baek Hyeonwoo answered in a whisper, walked over to the window, carefully closed the curtains that had been slightly drawn back, and then returned to my side. He turned off the mood lamp I had left on just brightly enough to barely make out what was in front of me, lightly pushed my shoulder so I would lie down, and naturally pulled the blanket over me as he spoke.
“It looks like it’ll be difficult to leave immediately tomorrow.”
“Because of the rain?”
“Yes. The river must have risen a lot.”
Even if he said it was because of the river, in reality, it was probably because of me. There was no way this frail body, which caught a cold whenever the weather became even slightly chilly, could safely make it through that rain.
However, instead of deliberately saying that aloud, I nodded to show that I understood.
“Close your eyes.”
“…….”
“Hurry.”
Even though no light came in and he should not have been able to see anything, Baek Hyeonwoo urged me as though he could see everything and patted my chest. But even after closing my eyes, I could not fall asleep easily. After tossing and turning several times as the sound of the rain grew increasingly violent, I finally opened my eyes again.