Chapter 98 - The Girl Wants to Be M*rdered

**Chapter 98: The Chapter of the Girl and the Zombie (10)** --- **Ugliness Born in the Darkness** The flower of flesh bloomed. "Everyone, ruuuuuuun!!!" **[■■■,■■....!!" "■■■■!!" "■■,■■■■■." "■■■■■■■!!!!" ".....■■.....■■■■." "■■■......!!" "■■, ■■■,■■■■!" "■■■■■...!!" "■■■,■■■■!!"］** "Damn it! Hee Ah, where's Hee Ah?! Hwa Min, have you seen her?" "I haven't seen her since earlier!! Has anyone else seen Hee Ah here?!" "I haven't seen her either!!" *Kkkwa-ddeudeuk─, Kkkwa-ddeudeuk──*. Where a mouth was assumed to be wide open, instead of a fragrant floral scent wafted an unbearable stench of decaying flesh. Below that mouth, in the spot where beautiful petals should have been if it were a flower, jagged teeth protruded instead. The stem, dry and twisted, reminiscent of a neck or torso. And the branches that had split off and were now reaching towards us. ".....What the." A monstrous flower, seemingly created by inverting all human values. **["""""■■■■■■■■■────!!!"""""］** "What in the world is going on?!" An indescribable chorus emanated from the flowers, filling the floor of the supermarket where we stood. --- Like sunflowers turning their heads in unison to follow the sun. Or like a line of ants drawn to a source of food. Revealing their horrifying selves in the darkness, they began to advance towards the only warm presence here—us. They were unfazed by threats, whether we raised long weapons or shone bright flashlight beams at them. Step by step. As if our resistance was a mere trifle, they moved at a steady pace, and the gap between us and the zombies relentlessly closed. Do they truly wish to kill us so much? Must they consume us so desperately? Of course, we weren't merely standing idle amidst this perilous situation. Yet, in this disadvantageous circumstance where even a scratch meant defeat for us, and every attempt to flee past the sales racks faced interception by a horde of zombies, we found ourselves ensnared. And then, it happened─ ─Crack! "Get the hell away, you bastards!!" **[".....■■....■■■."］** The reality hit that zombies had started entering the range where we swung our sticks—an unthinkably worst-case scenario. Look in any direction, and all one could see was the crashing wave of screaming corpses. Where did we go wrong? From when was this trap planned? And most importantly, where is Hee Ah right now? A sudden emergence of zombies. And moments ago, the child who clutched my garment vanished without a trace. The worst-case scenario where two things that should never occur happened simultaneously, filled my mind with a foreboding sense that kept growing unchecked. Could she have already fallen victim to the zombies? Or perhaps she's wandering somewhere on this floor teeming with zombies, utterly lost? If not, at this very moment that we are stuck here, is she desperately calling our names, waiting for help─ .... No. That's impossible. ─Snap "Hee Ah. That clever child, there's no way she'd be taken so easily." I tightened my grip on the weapon in hand. Rage. Or perhaps desperation, as I stared down at the horde of zombies advancing toward us. A woman with long black hair, and the swarm of maggots greedily devouring the rotting brown skin on her, caught my eye. No matter how often seen, the repulsive sight never ceased to be shocking. Suppressing the nausea rising from within, I forced the bile back down and struck at the heads of the zombies encircling us with a rod alongside everyone else. *Thud, Thwart!* **["......■,■■■..."］** "Hee Ah!! Where are you!!" With every forceful swing, bursts of vile, greenish pus erupted from the bodies of the zombies. Who could have imagined that such a loathsome substance, one that causes revulsion simply by sight, could originate from these once-human bodies? While I was aware that the sturdy clothing I wore would prevent any contact with my skin, the sight of the slime filled me with an unshakeable sensation of bugs crawling under my skin. Have all the people I knew also turned into such forms? Could the faces I remember be among the zombies I'm fighting against? These are the remnants of what were once humans I am bringing down now. **[".....■■■■!"］** "No....not like this...!!" *Thud─!* Gritting my teeth, I swung the rod harder. With the zombies closing in any available thought for anything else was non-existent. The best I could do in that high-pressure situation was to powerfully swing the stick in my hand, nothing more. The fierce sound of it slicing through the air came first, followed by the dull thud of impact. The sensation that reached my hands felt like kneading clay, and the creature, which had been advancing with arms outstretched, fell to the floor, still in that posture. Despite the gruesome exterior, the zombies possessed less strength than expected. Thanks to our efforts, we managed to keep the zombies at bay, even amidst this precarious situation. But. [""""────■■■■■■■■■!!!""""］ The momentary thought that we could somehow make it out of here was quickly dashed. With a cold realization, it became clear. "They're...converging even more...." "....I can't see the end of it, damn it. Where on earth were all these hidden....?!" We were forced to witness a horde of new zombies, outnumbering those we had already taken down, advancing upon us. Though there were initially gaps scattered across the floor, those were steadily being filled as the number of zombies increased over time, engulfing us further. To make matters worse, only adding to our predicament— ─Sweeek. ["....■....■■...."］ "...This is driving me insane." Even the zombies we had previously defeated were slowly rising again, as if they had recovered. The floor was now covered with a disturbing green ooze. "..........." The encroaching circle tightened around us. All we could do was back away slowly, pressed against each other. But despite our best efforts, the floor was becoming increasingly crowded with the advancing zombies. Soon, even the path leading to the passage we used to descend here would be blocked. At this rate, this entire building would become our tomb. ─Thud! "Have you found Hee Ah yet?! Did she go up to the first floor already?" "What if she's still on this floor!? We can't just leave Hee Ah alone here...!! Ngh, we've got to find Hee Ah!" "The other side is closing in too! We're running out of time!! At this rate, the stairs up are going to be blocked! Hee Ah, Hee Ah!! Can you hear us?! Where are you?!" We shouted Hee Ah's name with all our might. Perhaps our desperate cries only served to inflame the zombies' attacks further. Yet, in defiance, we only shouted louder for Hee Ah's sake, preferring the zombies to hear us than risk Hee Ah never hearing us from wherever she was in the building. But. "...Hee Ah....please answer...I beg you...!" ["....■....■■■.."］ *Thud─!* Despite our loud efforts to cross through the horde of zombies, there was no trace of Hee Ah anywhere. All that echoed back were our voices, rebounding off the walls, and the groans from the zombies. Even when I desperately scanned the masses of zombies, I saw no sign of Hee Ah among them. Yes. Not a single one, nowhere. Not the bag Hee Ah would have been carrying. Nor the clothes, or the hat she wore. Nothing was there. In the end, just as I feared── "Wait─" Not a single trace? That's odd. No. That's definitely strange. Because─ ["...■■....■■■!"］ "There not being a single trace.... doesn't make sense." I mumbled absentmindedly. In hindsight, it's simple. Sound? Maybe Hee Ah's voice isn't reaching us over the noise of the zombies. Or perhaps she's in a situation where she can't make a sound because of the zombies around her. Her belongings? Engulfed in darkness, we might just not have been able to see Hee Ah's attire or figure. Sure, those are possibilities. But still. The absence of 'that' is peculiar. In an environment this dark, it's something that would stand out more than anything else. Something everyone carries, and which I had repeatedly told Hee Ah to keep on at all times, no matter what. Out of concern, I even tied it to her wrist with string. That is— "—The flashlight." "....Senior? What are you talking about?" "—Hee Ah's flashlight isn't here! I can't see the flashlight's light.....!!" As I voiced my realization, I quickly scanned the surroundings once more. Sure enough, outside of where our flashlights reached, only pitch-black darkness enveloped the area. "........You're right. It's not here." Indeed. Quite literally, nothing was visible. Beyond where we shone our lights, this vicinity was so dark one couldn't see an inch ahead. As we hurriedly looked around, nowhere did we see any light from Hee Ah's flashlight. And what this meant was clear. Hee Ah, or rather—her presence— "──is not on this floor! She's likely upstairs!" This conclusion seemed undeniable. I remembered how, just before we descended the stairs to this underground area where the food was located, Hee Ah had been keenly observing a section with non-food items. Moreover, no matter how diverted Jeong Eun and I were by the canned goods, there's no way we wouldn't have noticed Hee Ah shouting or making noise if she was captured. Even if her flashlight was broken or stolen, the noise would have been significant enough for me, Jeong Eun, or at least Yeon Yi to notice. So, while our attention was momentarily focused on food supplies, Hee Ah must have intentionally stepped away from us. If that's the case, the only place she could be now is upstairs. And if my hunch is correct, while we waste time here, Hee Ah alone upstairs might face danger. The answer was clear. Even if this turns out to be a futile hope, it doesn't matter. I will do my utmost given the situation at hand. ─Clap! "Alright! There's still time! Let's break through and head up the stairs quickly!! The staircase that we descended by, remember? We're going back up that way!" "....Yes!!" We charged forward with all our might, pushing through the zombies, hoping that Hee Ah was waiting for us on the first floor. Neither the zombies blocking our path nor the obstacles strewn like debris at our feet could halt our relentless strides. The only image blazing in my mind was Hee Ah, waiting for us alone. Hee Ah, don’t move from there and just wait! We're coming for you!! ** Tick. "Okay. Now it's the older sister's turn." ­ 1:59 Tick. "Hehe. If you don't spin quickly... you might be late, just like last time?" ­ 1:58 Tick. "I mean, I could spin it for you if you'd like... But still, it feels wrong to handle something that's yours without permission." ­ 1:57 Regret is about reflecting on what has already passed. No matter what you do, being late is inevitable—thus, it's called regret. So, sister, there's no need to be too disheartened. Regret comes even when you always do your best. Tick. ­ 1:56 Ah. "I miss you, Hwa Min unni." I wonder when she'll come. Tick, tock, changing numbers. Less than two minutes remained. ** * * *