Chapter 120: Side Story (South Korea - Seoul)

Sorry but the usual chapter will take a bit longer. I hope you’ll enjoy this side story in meantime.

Those will be the individuals of the main group:

•Kim Min-jun — South Korean Army Corporal.

•Lee Ji-hoon — his friend and fellow Corporal.

•Park Seung-ho — police officer

•Choi Dae-hyun— civilian scavenger

•Jung Soo-jin — civilian scavenger

__________________

“Corporal, are you sure it’s safe to go any farther?”

Dae-hyun kept his voice low as he followed the others along the side of an abandoned building. He glanced toward the street ahead, then back at the buildings they had passed, clearly uneasy about venturing farther into the city.

Min-jun slowed, looking toward the intersection.

“We scouted this area a few days ago,” he replied. “There are still some around, but their numbers drop off significantly farther in.”

“That doesn’t mean the streets are clear,” Seung-ho remarked.

“No, it doesn’t.” Min-jun adjusted the strap of his chest rig, checking that his rifle magazines remained secure in their pouches. His K2 hung from its sling, close at hand. “That’s why we’re being careful.”

Beside him, Ji-hoon scanned the windows overlooking the street. He had been Min-jun’s friend long before the outbreak, and the two had served together in the army. Four months of surviving the collapse hadn’t changed the habits drilled into them during their training. They watched their surroundings, kept track of one another, and avoided unnecessary risks.

They couldn’t afford to be careless now.

Their supplies back at the apartment complex were running dangerously low. At their current rate of consumption, the group had barely a week of food remaining. The nearby shops had already been picked clean, forcing them to venture farther into the city in search of places their earlier scavenging trips hadn’t reached.

“We need to find something today,” Ji-hoon said quietly. “We can’t keep going back to the same stores and hoping we’ve somehow missed a few cans.”

Min-jun nodded. He knew his friend was right.

“If we move carefully and stick together, we should be able to find enough to last us a while longer,” he said. “We avoid the main roads, keep an eye on our surroundings, and don’t engage unless we have to.”

Dae-hyun glanced at the rifle slung across Min-jun’s chest, then at Ji-hoon, who was watching the opposite side of the street.

“And if we run into a group of them?”

“Then we find another way around,” Min-jun answered. “We’re here for supplies, not a fight.”

He turned his attention back to the intersection. The streets ahead appeared quiet, but he had learned not to trust appearances.

After exchanging a brief look with Ji-hoon, he signaled for the others to follow and continued forward.

Abandoned cars lined the road ahead, some left haphazardly along the curb, others stopped in the middle of the street. A few had their doors hanging open, while others remained closed, their windows dark behind a layer of dust and grime. Whatever had happened here, the people who had left these vehicles behind had never returned for them.

As they approached the intersection, the reason for the congestion became clear.

A pileup blocked much of the road. Several cars had collided with one another, leaving a tangled mess of twisted metal and shattered glass. One sedan had its entire front end crushed against the rear of an SUV, while another had been struck from behind hard enough to buckle its trunk. A compact car sat at an angle across the lane, its driver’s side caved in, the windows shattered and the doors scraped and dented.

Dark, dried blood stained the asphalt beneath the wreckage. More marked the sides of the vehicles, some of it smeared across the doors and windows. Bloody handprints stood out against the dusty paint of a nearby car, as though someone had desperately tried to pull open the doors or find a way inside. On another vehicle, several streaks ran down from a shattered side window, ending in thick, dark stains along the door.

Min-jun’s gaze moved from one car to the next, searching the gaps between them.

A motionless body lay beside the overturned remains of a small hatchback. Its clothes were stained dark, and its head rested at an unnatural angle, the neck twisted so severely that it looked almost disconnected from the rest of the body. The face was turned away from them.

Nobody said anything as they passed.

There were no gamyeomja in sight. No movement among the wreckage, no figures wandering between the abandoned vehicles. Only the silence of the empty street, broken occasionally by the crunch of glass beneath their boots.

The morning was bitterly cold. A grey sky hung over the city, casting a dull light across the buildings and the deserted intersection. Min-jun could feel the chill creeping through his gloves as he adjusted his grip on the rifle, while a faint breeze slipped between the buildings and carried the cold straight through his uniform.

He pulled his collar a little higher and glanced towards the streets ahead. The cold was uncomfortable, but it was the lack of movement that bothered him more. They had seen fewer gamyeomja in this part of the city during their earlier scouting, but an empty street didn’t necessarily mean a safe one.

Min-jun slowed as they reached the intersection, raising a hand to signal the others to stop.

The street opened into a T-junction, with buildings lining both sides of the road. He looked to the left first, scanning the abandoned vehicles and the spaces between them.

Several figures stood farther down the street.

At first glance, they might have been people waiting beside their cars, but there was something wrong with the way they stood. One was motionless beside a parked hatchback, its head tilted towards the driver’s window. Another stood in the middle of the road, its arms hanging loosely at its sides, while a third lingered near the entrance to a small shop.

Gamyeomja.

There were only a few of them, and none appeared to have noticed the group. Min-jun watched them for another moment before shifting his attention to the opposite side of the intersection.

A delivery van had crashed into the front of a small neighborhood shop. Its front end had punched through the glass storefront, leaving the metal frame bent outwards and shards of glass scattered across the pavement.

A black sedan sat in the middle of the street a short distance away. Its front end was almost completely destroyed, the hood crumpled upwards and the grille torn apart. The windshield had shattered, leaving a web of cracks across what remained of the glass. The driver’s door hung open.

There was blood on the road between the two vehicles, a broad, dried smear that stretched from the sedan towards the crashed van. More stains marked the pavement near the shop entrance, where a trail of bloody footprints—or perhaps handprints dragged across the ground—led through the broken glass and disappeared inside.

Min-jun’s gaze returned to the van.

Several bloody handprints covered its side door. Some were small and clearly defined, while others had been smeared into long streaks, as though someone had dragged themselves along the metal.

A few feet away, a single shoe lay on its side beside a discarded bag. Its contents had spilled across the pavement: a child’s toy, a water bottle, and several small personal items. Nobody had bothered to pick them up.

Through the broken storefront, Min-jun could see more signs of a struggle. A display rack had been knocked over near the entrance, and one of the shelves had collapsed against the counter. Dark stains marked the doorframe, with several bloody fingerprints scattered across the glass that remained in place.

Whatever had happened here, it had not ended with the collision.

Seung-ho stepped closer to Min-jun, following his gaze towards the shop. The police officer studied the wreckage, then glanced down the street at the motionless figures between the cars.

“Looks like someone tried to get away,” he murmured.

“Or they were trying to get inside,” Ji-hoon replied, nodding towards the handprints on the van.

Neither man sounded certain.

Min-jun looked back towards the gamyeomja. They remained where they were, apparently unaware of the group’s presence. One of them shifted slightly, its head turning towards a sound somewhere deeper in the city, before it settled into stillness again.

He couldn’t tell how many more might be nearby.

For a moment, nobody moved. The intersection offered several possible routes, but the wreckage narrowed the available paths, and the infected down the left-hand street made that direction less appealing. The shop, meanwhile, might still contain useful supplies, though its damaged entrance and the blood gave them little reason to assume it was safe.

Min-jun adjusted the strap of his rifle and looked towards the others.

“We’ll take a closer look before we decide,” he said quietly. “Keep your eyes open, and don’t touch anything unless we need to.”

The others nodded. With one last glance at the figures standing among the abandoned cars, the group began to move forward, carefully approaching the shop.

As they moved closer to the crashed van, the vehicle increasingly obstructed their view of the shop’s interior. The shattered storefront was visible around its sides, but the van blocked most of the entrance, leaving dark gaps between the damaged bodywork and the bent metal frame. From where they stood, Min-jun couldn’t tell whether anything was moving inside.

He slowed, and Ji-hoon came to a stop beside him.

The two soldiers exchanged a brief look. Neither needed to say what they were thinking. The blood on the van and the signs of a struggle were reason enough to be cautious.

“Let’s attach the bayonets,” Min-jun murmured.

Ji-hoon nodded and shifted his rifle against his chest. They moved their weapons into a more convenient position and attached their bayonets, keeping their movements quiet and deliberate. The familiar actions offered a small measure of reassurance, but Min-jun couldn’t entirely shake the uneasiness gathering in his stomach. If any gamyeomja were hiding inside the shop, they might not see them until they were already close.

Seung-ho watched the soldiers finish before tightening his grip on the metal hammer he carried. It was a sturdy tool, with a flat striking face at one end and a curved, two-pronged claw at the other. He had chosen it because it was easy to carry and useful for more than just defending himself, though he hoped he wouldn’t have to use it for either purpose.

Dae-hyun held a short metal pry bar in both hands. The tool was battered but solid, and its narrow end could be useful for forcing open drawers, crates, or jammed doors. He had found it during an earlier scavenging trip and had been reluctant to leave it behind. Now, he kept glancing towards the dark opening beyond the van, his fingers tightening around the metal whenever he thought he heard something.

Soo-jin carried a heavy kitchen knife, its blade secured in a makeshift sheath fashioned from a piece of thick cloth and tape. It wasn’t an ideal weapon, and she knew it. She had never imagined having to carry a knife for protection, much less use one against a person—or whatever the infected had become. Still, it was light enough to keep at her side and better than having nothing.

She glanced at the two soldiers, trying to read their expressions.

“Do you think there are some inside?” she whispered.

Min-jun looked towards the shop. The van’s damaged bodywork concealed most of the entrance, and the bloodstained glass offered no useful view of what lay beyond it.

“I don’t know,” he answered quietly. “That’s why we’re being careful.”

Soo-jin swallowed and nodded, though the answer did little to settle her nerves. Dae-hyun shifted his grip on the pry bar and glanced back towards the intersection, as if measuring how quickly they could retreat if something went wrong.

“Should we call out?” he asked in a low voice.

“No,” Ji-hoon replied immediately, keeping his eyes on the gap beside the van. “If there’s anything in there, we don’t need to tell it where we are.”

Seung-ho gave a small nod of agreement. His expression had tightened, and he raised the hammer slightly, holding it ready at his side. He had dealt with dangerous people during his time as a police officer, but the gamyeomja were different. They didn’t respond to warnings or reason, and the thought of one suddenly lunging out from behind the van made him uneasy.

Min-jun noticed the tension in the group. Dae-hyun’s knuckles had gone pale around the pry bar, while Soo-jin kept looking between the broken storefront and the street behind them. Even Ji-hoon, who had remained composed throughout the walk, had his jaw set as he watched the entrance.

Min-jun felt much the same. The streets had been quiet so far, and the few gamyeomja they had seen were far enough away to avoid. Here, they would be moving into a confined space where a single mistake could leave them with very little room to react.

He took a slow breath and looked at Ji-hoon.

“Stay close. We’ll check the entrance first, then decide whether it’s safe to go inside.”

Ji-hoon gave him a short nod.

Together, they began edging towards the narrow gap between the van and the damaged storefront, rifles held ready and bayonets fixed. Behind them, Seung-ho, Dae-hyun, and Soo-jin followed in silence, each gripping their makeshift weapon a little tighter as they approached the darkened shop.

Min-jun and Ji-hoon continued towards the van, moving cautiously between the abandoned vehicles. Both kept their rifles ready, watching the gamyeomja wandering among the cars further down the opposite street. The others followed a few steps behind, with Seung-ho holding his hammer close at hand while Dae-hyun and Soo-jin glanced between the wreckage and the surrounding buildings.

The van blocked most of the shop’s entrance, leaving them with little view of what lay inside. As they drew closer, Min-jun slowed and glanced at Ji-hoon.

“I’ll check underneath,” he whispered.

Ji-hoon nodded. “I’ll check the front and see what I can make out inside the shop.”

Min-jun crouched beside the van, lowering himself until he could see beneath its chassis. The front tire initially blocked part of his view, but as he shifted his position, he spotted a body lying against the rubber, its upper half slumped sideways and its head hanging forward at an awkward angle.

He watched it for a moment, then noticed movement farther along the ground.

A pair of legs shuffled into view beyond the van, moving slowly and stiffly across the pavement. They took an uneven step, paused, then dragged forward again. The movement was unmistakable. Min-jun had seen enough gamyeomja to recognize them without needing a closer look.

Keeping low, he shifted his position slightly to get a better view of the other side of the vehicle. The body beside the tire belonged to another infected, its posture unnaturally slack. Neither appeared to have noticed them.

Min-jun remained still, watching them for several seconds to make sure he hadn’t missed any movement nearby. He could account for two gamyeomja on the far side of the van, but the vehicle and the shop obscured much of the surrounding area. He couldn’t be certain whether more were wandering farther away, beyond the immediate vicinity.

Satisfied that he had identified the two closest threats, he carefully rose and moved away from the wheel.

Meanwhile, Ji-hoon had approached the front of the van and peered through the damaged windshield and passenger-side window. The cabin was empty. Dark stains marked part of the dashboard and one of the seats, but there was no sign of anyone inside.

He then turned his attention towards the shop.

The van had smashed through the storefront, leaving shattered glass scattered across the entrance. Through the opening, Ji-hoon could see overturned shelves and goods strewn across the floor. Packets of instant noodles, bags of snacks, bottles of water and soft drinks, and other packaged foods lay among the debris. Several shelves remained upright, still holding rows of products, while others had collapsed against the counter. A refrigerator stood near the wall, its door partly open.

The interior looked as though the collision had thrown everything into disarray. Shelves had toppled over, products had spilled across the tiles, and broken pieces of shelving lay scattered among the glass. There was no way for Ji-hoon to know whether anyone had entered the shop since the crash, but from where he stood, the disorder seemed consistent with the damage caused by the van.

Then he noticed the blood.

A dark trail stretched across the floor from near the entrance, passing between the fallen shelves before continuing deeper into the shop. It wasn’t a simple pool or a series of footprints. The blood had been smeared along the tiles in a long, uneven streak, as though something had dragged itself through the store.

The trail disappeared into the darker rear section, where the light from the broken storefront barely reached.

Ji-hoon tightened his grip on his rifle. He couldn’t see what had left the trail, and he wasn’t about to lean any farther into the opening to find out.

Min-jun rose fully and moved away from the wheel. Ji-hoon stepped back from the van, turning towards his friend as the two regrouped beside the wreckage.

“What did you see?” Min-jun asked quietly.

“The cabin’s empty. There’s some blood inside, but nobody there.” Ji-hoon glanced towards the shop. “Looks like the collision threw the place into chaos. Shelves are overturned, goods all over the floor, and there’s a blood trail leading towards the back. Couldn’t see where it ends.”

Min-jun lowered his voice further. “I spotted two gamyeomja on the other side of the van. One’s slumped against the front tire, and the other was moving nearby. I couldn’t see any more close to the vehicle, but I can’t tell what’s farther away.”

Ji-hoon’s eyes briefly shifted towards the wheel.

“At least we know about those two.”

“Those two,” Min-jun agreed. “Doesn’t mean there aren’t others nearby.”

The others had drawn closer. Seung-ho’s expression grew more serious at the mention of the infected, and Soo-jin tightened her hold on her kitchen knife. Dae-hyun looked past them towards the shop, trying to make out what Ji-hoon had seen.

“Is there anything worth taking?” Seung-ho asked in a whisper.

Ji-hoi nodded towards the storefront. “There’s still food and bottled drinks on the shelves, with plenty more scattered across the floor. The shop’s a mess, but there are supplies left.”

For a moment, Dae-hyun’s anxious expression gave way to a flicker of hope. Soo-jin looked towards the remaining goods, then at the dark interior beyond them.

Min-jun studied the shop’s broken entrance, then glanced toward the van where the two gamyeomja stood opposite to them.

The supplies inside could make a real difference to the people back at the apartment complex, but the blood trail disappearing into the darkness made it clear that they couldn’t afford to be careless.

“High risk, high reward,” he murmured.

Ji-hoon looked at him, then towards the shop. “That’s one way of putting it.”

“We need those supplies, and we might not find another shop with this much left and low number of gamyeomja.” Min-jun lowered his voice further, keeping his eyes on the van. “You and I will take care of the two in front. Quickly and quietly. Seung-ho-ssi, you and the others watch our backs. Keep an eye on the street and the cars. If you see anything moving, tell us immediately.”

Seung-ho gave a short nod, his grip remaining tight on the hammer. “Understood. We’ll keep watch.”

Dae-hyun swallowed and glanced towards the van. “What if there are more inside?”

“Then we deal with them if we have to,” Ji-hoon answered quietly. He looked towards Min-jun, his expression serious. “But we don’t go rushing in. We check each section as we move.”

Min-jun nodded in agreement. “Stay close to us. Don’t wander off to collect things until we know the shop is clear.”

Soo-jin nodded, though her grip on the knife remained tight. She looked uneasy, and Min-jun couldn’t blame her. The two soldiers had training and weapons suited to the job, but none of them could be certain what lay beyond the broken storefront.

“All right,” Min-jun whispered. “Let’s move.”

The two corporals turned towards the van, rifles held ready as they carefully approached the infected. Min-jun kept track of the one slumped against the tire, while Ji-hoon watched the other, making sure neither had begun moving towards them.

Behind them, Seung-ho, Dae-hyun, and Soo-jin spread out just enough to watch the street and the gaps between the abandoned vehicles. Nobody spoke again. Their attention shifted between the soldiers, the nearby gamyeomja, and the streets beyond the intersection.

Min-jun exchanged one last glance with Ji-hoon before they moved in together, determined to deal with the immediate threat without drawing the attention of anything farther down the road.

Once the two infected were dealt with, they would have to face whatever waited inside the shop.

Min-jun and Ji-hoon kept their K2 rifles ready, the attached bayonets extending beyond the muzzles, they began moving carefully around the van, keeping its bulk between themselves and the infected whenever possible. Behind them, Seung-ho, Dae-hyun, and Soo-jin remained alert, watching the surrounding street and the gaps between the abandoned vehicles.

As they reached the rear of the van, Min-jun noticed that its two cargo doors had been left slightly ajar. He slowed and glanced at Ji-hoon before carefully peering through the narrow opening.

Inside, overturned boxes lay scattered across the cargo floor, mixed with several pieces of furniture that had shifted during the collision. A wooden chair rested on its side near the back, while a small table had been shoved against one wall. Min-jun couldn’t see anyone hiding among the clutter, nor could he make out any movement.

He withdrew his head and gave Ji-hoon a small nod. With nothing immediately threatening visible, they continued around the rear of the vehicle.

Min-jun reached the corner first and stopped abruptly, raising a hand to signal Ji-hoon to halt behind him. He leaned just far enough around the edge of the van to look towards the two gamyeomja.

Neither appeared to have changed position. The one beside the front tire remained slumped against the rubber, its head hanging forward, while the other stood a short distance away, its body swaying faintly.

Min-jun’s gaze moved beyond them, scanning the street.

Then he spotted several more figures among the abandoned cars, roughly a hundred metres away. Even at that distance, their movements were unmistakable. Gamyeomja wandered aimlessly between the vehicles, some drifting along the pavement while others stood motionless in the road.

He drew back behind the van and looked at Ji-hoon.

“More of them,” he whispered. “Down the street. About a hundred metres away.”

Ji-hoon leaned out just enough to check for himself. His expression tightened when he saw the distant figures.

“Keep it quiet,” he murmured.

Min-jun nodded. The two soldiers exchanged a brief look before moving out from behind the van.

They advanced swiftly towards the nearest infected, keeping their rifles level and the bayonets pointed ahead. The standing gamyeomja noticed them first. Its head jerked towards the approaching soldiers, and a low, guttural growl escaped its ruined throat.

Ji-hoon closed the remaining distance before it could make another sound. He drove the bayonet through its eye socket and into its brain. The infected gave a brief, involuntary jerk before its body went limp, collapsing against the side of the vehicle.

The sound drew the attention of the second gamyeomja. It lifted its head from its slumped position, turning towards the soldiers as they approached.

Min-jun stepped in before it could rise any further. He thrust his bayonet through its eye and into the brain, holding the rifle steady until the infected stopped moving.

For a moment, both soldiers remained still, listening.

The distant gamyeomja continued wandering among the abandoned vehicles. None appeared to have noticed what had happened near the van.

Min-jun carefully withdrew his rifle and glanced at Ji-hoon. His friend gave a small nod, his expression still tense.

The immediate threat was gone, but the street ahead remained far from clear.

Ji-hoon glanced back at the others before approaching the shop entrance.

“Watch your step. There’s broken glass everywhere. Keep an eye on your surroundings, too. If you see anything moving, say so.”

Seung-ho, Dae-hyun, and Soo-jin nodded, spreading out enough to keep watch over the street while the two soldiers moved through the shattered storefront.

Min-jun stepped carefully over the broken glass, keeping his K2 rifle angled forward, the fixed bayonet ready for close combat. Ji-hoon followed beside him, equally alert. Neither wanted to fire a shot unless there was no other choice. The sound could draw the attention of the gamyeomja wandering among the abandoned vehicles outside.

Once inside, they switched on their flashlights.

The beams swept across the shop, illuminating overturned shelves, scattered packets of food, and bottles rolling beneath the counters. Dust and broken glass crunched softly under their boots.

The blood trail Ji-hoon had spotted earlier continued deeper into the store, disappearing behind a row of shelves.

Then Min-jun’s flashlight caught a figure standing near the back.

He stopped.

The figure remained motionless, its head hanging at an unnatural angle. For a moment, Min-jun couldn’t tell whether it was simply standing there or had noticed their arrival.

He didn’t want to advance blindly and risk being cornered if there were more of them hiding among the shelves.

Min-jun glanced at Ji-hoon and gave a small nod.

Understanding immediately, Ji-hoon shifted towards a nearby metal shelf. Keeping his rifle close, he struck its side with the buttstock.

Clang!

The noise echoed through the shop, but it wasn’t loud enough to carry far beyond the shattered storefront.

Something answered from the back.

A low, guttural groan rose from behind the shelves, followed by another. The figure at the back began to move, slowly turning towards them. As it shuffled into the light, Min-jun saw that much of its face had been torn away. Its clothes were stained dark with dried blood, and its intestines hung from a gaping wound in its abdomen.

Another gamyeomja emerged from between the shelves behind it.

Min-jun tightened his grip on his rifle. Despite all this time, the sight still sent a chill through him.

He had seen the infected before, but knowing what they were and standing a few metres away from them were two different things.

Ji-hoon shifted his stance, preparing to meet the approaching pair.

Before either soldier could move, a third gamyeomja stumbled out from their right. Half its face was missing, and one arm ended in a ragged stump. It lurched towards the group, its mouth opening in a wet groan.

Seung-ho reacted immediately.

He stepped forward and swung his hammer, striking the infected with the blunt side. The blow caught it across the head and staggered it sideways, but failed to kill it.

“Damn it,” the police officer muttered.

He corrected his grip and brought the hammer down again, this time using the clawed side.

The metal struck the top of the gamyeomja’s skull with a sickening crack, dropping it to the floor.

At the same time, Min-jun and Ji-hoon advanced on the first two infected. They moved quickly, each keeping the other in view as they drove their bayonets into the creatures’ heads.

Both gamyeomja collapsed, their groans abruptly silenced.

For a brief moment, the shop fell quiet.

Then another groan came from behind a shelf.

Min-jun turned towards the sound, bringing his rifle around. A fourth gamyeomja stumbled into view, its clothes torn and its body covered in dried blood. It reached towards them with both hands, dragging its feet across the littered floor.

Before anyone could react, another sound came from lower down.

A gamyeomja dragged itself from behind the next shelf, its entire lower half missing. It pulled its body forward with its arms, leaving a dark smear across the floor.

Min-jun felt his stomach tighten. There was no telling how many more might be hidden deeper inside the shop.

He wanted to finish the scavenging and get everyone out before it was getting too late and began getting dark.

Every additional minute they spent inside was another chance for something to go wrong.

He stepped forward and drove his bayonet down through the top of the crawling gamyeomja’s skull. Its arms twitched once before falling still.

Ji-hoon dealt with the remaining infected a moment later, thrusting his bayonet into its head before it could reach them.

The five survivors stood still, listening.

Min-jun kept his rifle raised while Ji-hoon swept his flashlight across the aisles. Seung-ho watched the area where the last gamyeomja had emerged, hammer still gripped tightly in his hand. Dae-hyun and Soo-jin remained near the entrance, keeping watch over the street.

They waited several seconds, listening for any further movement.

Nothing came.

“Let’s check the rest of the shop,” Min-jun said quietly. “Don’t assume it’s clear just because we haven’t heard anything.”

They proceeded aisle by aisle, checking behind the shelves, beneath the counters, and through the narrow storage area at the back. Ji-hoon examined the dark corners while Min-jun kept watch over the passageways.

Seung-ho checked the area around the counter, and the other two helped search once the soldiers had cleared each section.

Eventually, they were satisfied that no more gamyeomja remained inside.

Only then did they begin gathering supplies.

The shop had suffered considerable damage from the collision, but not everything had been destroyed. Some shelves had toppled while others remained upright, their contents scattered across the floor. Much of the food was packaged, and the group carefully inspected each item before putting it aside.

They gathered unopened packets of instant noodles, bags of rice and other dry staples, canned food, and sealed packets of crackers. There were still a few boxes of cereal and biscuits on the higher shelves, along with packaged seaweed, dried snacks, and other Korean convenience-store foods.

Min-jun set aside several undamaged bottles of water and sealed drinks, while Ji-hoon checked the shelves for sports drinks and other bottled beverages.

They also found individually wrapped bread and pastries, though they checked the packaging and dates before keeping any. Anything that had been crushed, opened, or contaminated by the blood on the floor was left behind. The same went for chilled foods that had been left unrefrigerated for months; even if some packages looked intact, they weren’t worth the risk.

Soo-jin found a few packets of instant porridge and several sealed bags of nuts near the back of a shelf.

Dae-hyun recovered a box of disposable lighters, batteries, and a handful of unopened packs of wet wipes from behind the counter.

Seung-ho collected a few more bottles of water and checked a small display of basic first-aid supplies, setting aside the unopened bandages and antiseptic wipes.

They worked quickly but methodically, placing the usable goods into their bags and keeping the heavier items distributed between them.

It wasn’t enough to solve their supply problems, not with so many people waiting back at the apartment complex.

But every can, every bottle of water, and every packet of noodles meant another meal they wouldn’t have to worry about.

Min-jun glanced towards the broken storefront. Beyond it, the street remained grey and silent, with abandoned cars stretching into the distance.

They had found what they came for.

Now they just had to get it home.

••••••••••••

“Ah, we’re finally back.”

Seung-ho let out a tired sigh as the group approached the entrance to the apartment complex, adjusting the straps of his bag.

“Another two hours, and we’d have been walking around in the dark,” Dae-hyun remarked.

“Let’s be glad that group of gamyeomja didn’t notice us,” Ji-hoon replied. “They just kept walking past.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Min-jun glanced back towards the street they had come from. The encounter had been close enough to remind him how easily their trip could have ended differently. They had been forced to wait behind abandoned vehicles until the wandering group moved far enough away for them to continue. None of them had wanted to risk attracting the infected while carrying bags full of supplies.

Now, at least, they were back.

The apartment complex stood behind its makeshift defenses, its tall residential buildings rising above the surrounding streets. What had once been an ordinary place for hundreds of people to live had become a refuge for those who had nowhere else to go. The main entrance had been reinforced with metal barriers and whatever sturdy materials the survivors had managed to salvage, while additional obstacles blocked off vulnerable approaches to the grounds.

A couple of survivors stood watch near the entrance. One carried a metal pipe, while the other held a hunting knife. Both looked up as the returning group approached, their expressions brightening when they recognized the familiar faces and the bags they carried.

Beyond the entrance, the complex’s courtyard was far from empty.

Several people were gathered near one of the buildings, sorting through supplies and talking quietly. Others carried containers of water or moved between the buildings on small errands. A few families had settled near the entrance to their residential block, keeping their children close while they waited for the scavengers to return.

Children played quietly under the watchful eyes of their parents, their voices occasionally carrying across the courtyard. Some of the younger ones were too small to fully understand why the adults were always cautious, while the older children had learned to keep their voices down and stay within sight of their families.

There were more than a dozen civilians moving about, with others likely inside the apartments. They were tired, worried, and running short on necessities, but the complex had become something more than a place to hide. It was a community, held together by the efforts of people who had survived this far and were determined to keep going.

Min-jun felt some of the tension leave his shoulders as he stepped through the entrance.

They had made it back with supplies.

For tonight, at least, that was enough.

______________

I hope you’ve enjoyed it, it popped in my mind after watching the new CoD modern warfare 4.