Chapter 90 - The Girl Wants to Be M*rdered

### Chapter 90: The Tale of the Zombie and the Girl (Part 2) * * * The saying goes, "blessing in disguise." What seemed like an insurmountable crisis turned into a blessing for us. Of course, it would have been preferable if the crisis had never occurred in the first place. ─Clack, clack. "Thank you! You saved us!" "Hehe, it was nothing. Come on, sisters! Follow me this way!" Thanks to the assistance of a kind child, Jeong-eun, Yeon, and I managed to escape a horde of zombies against all odds. Filled with gratitude for the help we received, we all followed the child's beckoning gestures, leaving behind a locked gate to enter a house marked by its striking blue roof. Boom, boom. Even after entering the house, we continued to hear the relentless sounds of the zombie horde pounding against the tightly shut iron gate and walls. Yet, despite the terrifying noise that should have chilled us to the bone, our hearts gradually found peace. Considering how the threat of zombies had previously loomed so close we could almost feel their grasp, the shelter provided by thick concrete-enforced walls and durable bricks was a comforting oasis. In this context, the pounding on the walls felt like the disappointed gestures of zombies unable to breach our sanctuary. To sum it up: Serves you right, you bastards. ─Clack, clack, clack, clack! ["■■■■■■!"] ["■■■,■■■■■!!"] "........." The sound was like raindrops tapping on a window. The sickening squelch of rotting hands against the door continued as we locked the entrance and retreated further inside. Clack, clack. Relentlessly. ['■■■!'] "........" ...Relentlessly. If that abhorrent noise were ever to cease, it would mean one of two things. Either the zombies would tire of their futile attempts to catch us and scatter, pursuing other survivors outside. Or, the wall that shielded us would fail to withstand the zombies’ assault, transforming this haven into nothing more than our tomb. Our death. Or that of some unknown person. The brutal choice lay before us, with both possibilities leading to someone's demise. Well— That's another matter entirely. ─Schluck. "Ugh... Jeong-eun, this is killing me..." "Don't talk to me, Hwa-min. I can't muster the energy to respond..." "Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk—" ".....If you keep going when I get up, you're dead. For real." It was time to set aside thoughts as heavy as death and take a moment's respite. Jeong-eun and I, overwhelmed with relief at being alive, let go of all tension, collapsing in a comedic heap in the entryway as if it were any other day. At least the polite Yeon remained sitting upright, engaging the young child who had rescued us in conversation. "Hehe~ Are you sisters tired? I'll get you something to drink! Just wait here for a bit, okay?" "Please do... So, um... what should we call you? Oh, my name is 'Seo-nu Yeon.' My friends call me Yeon. The two lying over there are my seniors, Lee Hwa-min and Park Jeong-eun." ".....Hmm." The child paused, taking a moment to consider our names before flashing a broad smile. Deliberately, as if ensuring nothing was lost in translation, she responded slowly and clearly. "──Hia. My name is Hia. Nice to meet you, Sister Yeon!" "...Yes! Nice to meet you, Hia!" Though she tried to act dignified all on her own, even Yeon was kneeling on the floor, looking up at the child just like the rest of us. The home we entered at the behest of the fair-skinned girl named Hia was far more spacious than we had anticipated. It felt like one of those large family homes where numerous relatives gather during the holidays. Even though the urgency of the situation hadn’t allowed us to fully take in our surroundings, the home's multiple bathrooms and even a bathtub left not only me but also Jeong-eun and Yeon astounded. Of course, being surprised was secondary to other pressing needs. "I'm so tired, Jeong-eun mama. Water, please." "....Get lost, you brat. And stop trying to be cute. I'll toss you to the zombies, I swear." Squirm, squirm— Our first priority was to lie down on the fluffy carpet adorning the living room floor. Clad in heavy leather garments to protect against potential bites and carrying a week's worth of food supplies alongside various weapons, the coolness of a spring day was more than enough to exhaust us. "─Ta-da! Sisters, Hia brought water.... Oh....? Oh no, are you all sick!? Why is everyone collapsed like this!?" "Oh, Hia, you’re here. Thank you... But we're too tired to move our hands right now. If you leave it there, we'll drink it soon. And don’t mind those two over there." And so, rolling around, Jeong-eun and I resembled drunken college students at a party, sprawled awkwardly on the carpet like some writhing worms. Nearby, Yeon covered her flushed face with her hands and hung her head low. Sorry, Hia. We made a spectacle of ourselves. Please, try to unsee it. "Really, seniors who embarrass us wherever they go....." "......Hehe." Hia, with a sheepish smile, just looked at us. And so, after a brief respite that allowed us to feel a semblance of normalcy in our turbulent lives, it seemed we were starving for a new connection amidst our isolated and stagnant existence. "We are──" Pathetically, we drank greedily from the water brought by a child who seemed several years younger than us, and sat down with Hia as we began to share our stories. Starting with basic introductions of Jeong-eun, Yeon, and myself, we recounted how we ended up in this situation, the perilous situations we faced, and why we had to flee from zombies moments ago. Reflecting back, the tales we shared were certainly not suitable for a child’s ears. The dark and painful memories we unearthed served little more than to dishearten even us, let alone a child barely ten years old. Yet, the child probably wasn't unfamiliar with such horrors. However, At that moment, we were too trapped in our desperation to realize any of this. ─Clunk. "──While hearing the screams on the rooftop... we were... we were....!" "......Yes, I’m listening, Sister Hwa-min." Though I knew better, once I started to voice my suppressed frustrations, like water from a breached dam, words burst forth uncontrollably. An emotional tempest erupted within me, causing me to forget that our audience was merely a child, leading us to spill everything from our minds. "I also...! We also! Wanted to save them... we wanted to save them...!" "...I understand." As our emotions heightened, I couldn't help but shed tears mid-conversation, revealing the depths of our turmoil. At times, I clung to the child embracing us, sobbing and screaming audibly. The child’s warmth, intense enough to feel almost scorching, reaffirmed our sense of being alive. We poured out our hidden stories to this newly met girl for a reassurance that no one else could give. We wished for a voice to acknowledge how much we had struggled. We sought comfort for the arduous journey we had traversed. "──And that’s how we met you." "...I see." Without a word of complaint. Instead, the child listened with keen attention, brightening the room with her smile as she nodded along. In her presence, we unpacked the sorrowful emotions we had buried deep inside, sharing the grimness and pain hidden in our hearts. However, there was something crucial we missed at the time. "Must have been really tough." "......Ha...ha...." "─But it's okay now. Everything's alright, Sister." None of us, not a single person among us, considered asking the child for her story. In those moments, unable to notice, the large house was devoid of life except for us. It was only after we regained some peace and composure, when we leisurely explored the home, that a sense of wrongness settled in. The most striking was the spot adorned with ivory wallpaper, where a dazzling family photo hung prominently. In the picture, flanking a little girl assumed to be Hia, were two well-dressed adults, presumably her parents, each subtly turning their heads as if shy. Despite their efforts to avert their gazes, a faint blush and an endearing sense of distance marked their bond, impossible to conceal. And in between them stood Hia, a striking figure with white hair, her face beaming as she tightly clenched their arms with her own. The force with which Hia gripped their arms was so strong that wrinkles were visible even in the photograph. Her resolute grip, suggesting an insistence on never letting go, implied that it was perhaps Hia who orchestrated this photo session with her bashful parents. With adorable dimples gracing her cheeks, the child smiled brighter than anyone at the prospect of creating cherished family memories. That image alone was like a masterpiece embodying the essence of familial love. ['──■■■■■■!!!'] "........." Yet, perhaps it was a work evoking a tragically poignant story by its very existence. Why was an innocent child residing alone in such a vast house? Where had the two adults, presumably the parents in the photo, disappeared to, leaving the child behind? How could this child wear such a happy smile in the vastness of this home? Questions one would typically ask without much thought in the mundane rhythms of life, expecting mundane replies like they’d gone on a trip or for work. ─Clack! "─You can use this room, sisters! Hehe, there should be enough blankets, right?" ""........"" But as we belatedly realized, taking far too long to notice— Faced with an eerie truth perhaps reaching all of us, including myself— None of us could muster the courage to speak to the child cheerfully fetching blankets from the wardrobe. Perhaps, having missed the appropriate moment to ask long ago and burdened by an overwhelming sense of helplessness and guilt, We simply lacked the ability to pose our questions now, regardless of how pressing they seemed. ".......Yes. This should be enough." We merely watched as the moment to act slipped further away, a missed opportunity drifting even farther. Without even being able to muster the courage to ask that simple question, "Are you alright, Hia?" We just pressed our lips tightly together and remained silent. ** * * *