Red Dot - 11

Chapter 11

In various regions, there were emergency shelters designated for various disasters. One of these designated shelters was right here.

Junseong hoped to make his way to this hospital, the safest place in his dream, where the rescue team was expected to arrive.

“Even if it’s a bit far, this is how we can ensure everyone’s survival. And nearby…”

Junseong shifted his gaze from the hospital to the building next to it. He remembered his last dream, where he could have obtained “it,” which could put an end to this disaster, if he hadn’t been ambushed by zombies. He couldn’t help but feel regretful. If only he had one more dream, things might have been different.

On the other hand, he had another thought.

What if the recurring nightmares that continued until he found a solution weren’t meant to torment him but to warn him? What if they were meant to prepare him for what would happen today, to help him survive, and ultimately, to resolve the situation?

Thinking this way, he began to appreciate the nightmares that had haunted him. If it hadn’t been for those dreams, he might not have made it out of his one-room apartment and would have succumbed to the infection.

Junseong clenched his fist as he imagined himself waking up after suffocating and becoming a zombie.

Meanwhile, Jiwoo, who had been estimating the distance by moving Junseong’s phone, had a grim expression.

“This place seems too far away. Shouldn’t we evacuate to a closer location? Waiting for the rescue team here might be a better idea.”

Jiwoo stood up abruptly and opened the refrigerator in the classroom. Inside, there were five cans of coffee, three juice packs, and two bottles of water.

“We have a little water and some drinks. We also have some snacks, so if we ration them, we can probably hold out until the rescue team arrives, right?”

She was right that this place was relatively safe for now. But that was only until 5 PM. After that, the infected professor would arrive, turning it into a danger zone. Changing the password for the door or dealing with the incoming professor wouldn’t resolve the issue. Even if they rationed the remaining food, the rescue team might not arrive, and they were running out of time.

Junseong was about to explain the situation to Jiwoo, but Hanseo, who had been observing, spoke up instead.

“In zombie movies, they usually go to higher places to get rescued, right? There may not be such places here, but if it’s a hospital, helicopters should be able to rescue us.”

What Hanseo said was accurate.

The fire department regularly sent rescue helicopters to find survivors. However, for a helicopter to rescue them, they needed a rooftop that was wide and safe enough for it to land. Their current building didn’t offer that option, and there was no helicopter to hope for.

Jiwoo’s face became even more despondent as she shrugged her shoulders. Tears welled up in her eyes once again.

Hanseo, seemingly uninterested in Jiwoo’s reaction, looked at Junseong.

“How are we going to the hospital? Do you have a car?”

“Even if I had a car, I couldn’t go right now. The roads in this area are clogged with stopped cars because people are evacuating. Unless I find a road where the cars are moving, we’ll just become a burden.”

“Then we have to go on foot.”

With a nonchalant tone, Hanseo stood up from the sofa and extended his hand to Junseong.

“That thing around your waist, can I use it if you don’t mind?”

He looked at Junseong meaningfully, his eyes filled with purpose.

“I’m pretty good with knives.”

Junseong felt an eerie sensation in Hanseo’s eyes as he examined the machete strapped to Junseong’s waist. He couldn’t help but be reminded of someone he had encountered in his dreams.

A person exuding the same intense odor of blood, a terrifying and gruesome killer.

“What does he mean by ‘good with knives’?”

Junseong, whose face had frozen due to caution and tension, was prompted by Chaeyi’s question.

“He’s good with knives. He was the top of the Kendo department.”

Now, Hanseo’s words made sense to Junseong.

Junseong blamed himself for being unnecessarily tense over such a trivial matter. However, he had no intention of giving in to Hanseo’s request just because he was a variable.

Hanseo was exactly that, a variable.

Unlike the people he had met in his dreams, he had just met Hanseo for the first time. He had no idea what kind of person Hanseo was. Handing over his main weapon without knowing anything about him was out of the question. Moreover, considering Hanseo’s robust physique and the fact that he was a top student in the Kendo department, giving him a powerful weapon would make him unstoppable, leaving the rest of the group defenseless.

The current situation was far from the peaceful reality they had experienced until yesterday. From now on, they had to be aware that, in the absence of law and order, it would be difficult to hold anyone accountable for their actions.

Chaeyi, who had been observing Junseong, brought a wooden stick she had leaned against the wall. The pointed end still had dried, blood-red stains from when she had used it to stab a zombie.

“In terms of length, this should be more comfortable for you to use. The length is similar to a sword.”

Observing Chaeyi for a moment, Hanseo soon accepted the stick with a smiling face. He stood a little further away and swirled the stick in the air with one hand, seemingly lost in thought. Nobody could figure out what was going on in his mind.

Chaeyi briefly glanced at Junseong.

Being a person with very little expression, the others might not have noticed, but Chaeyi had known since a while ago that Junseong was wary of Hanseo. Maybe it was because of the subtle but lingering scent of his blood.

After some time had passed, the five of them gathered in front of the classroom window, which was wide open.

The view outside the classroom window was in the opposite direction of the parking lot Junseong had passed through and toward the hills that surrounded the university grounds. Numerous zombies were wandering around the base of the building.

Holding an eco-bag filled with coffee and snacks, Soyeon, who was wearing glasses, observed the zombies and the hills.

“Do you think we’re supposed to go down there?”

“No, how can we go down there? How are we even supposed to get there?”

Junseong, rather than answering directly, took out a rope from his backpack. He initially thought it was just a tangled mass of rope, but there was a peculiar knot tied at one end of it, as if four loops were made.

While everyone was puzzled by the shape of the rope, Junseong pointed to a heavy cabinet in the classroom.

“I’m going to bring that to the window and tie it to the rope.”

“Are you going to tie it? Oh…”

Chaeyi realized Junseong’s intention a bit late and nodded.

After preparing everything, a little past 12 o’clock, Junseong had taken a taxi to Inhan University. He knew that he would be stuck on his way due to the traffic, but he chose this method to create the knot he needed for the rope.

Junseong began to explain to the others.

“Most of the zombies in the building are on the second floor. To go down, we’ll have to pass through the second-floor staircase, and that means we’ll have to fight the zombies.”

“So you’re going to jump out the window? Even there, there are zombies, you know?”

“I’ll take care of that before we go down.”

Without asking what ‘take care’ meant, just as he did in his dreams, Junseong asked Chaeyi for a favor.

“Help me move the cabinet.”

“I’ll help.”

Before Chaeyi could respond, Hanseo had already moved toward the cabinet. Whether it was a potential threat or not, being proactive in such a situation was much appreciated.

Junseong briefly handed the rope to Chaeyi and then approached the cabinet himself. It was difficult for two people to lift and move it due to its weight, but they could push it and slide it. With a slight scraping noise on the floor, the cabinet arrived right next to the window.

Once again, with Hanseo’s help, Junseong tied the rope to the middle of the cabinet. He then extended the side with the four loops to Chaeyi.

“These four loops will serve as harnesses.”

“Harness? Like the straps we put on dogs?”

Soyeon, who had a pet dog, recalled the type of collar that wrapped around the dog’s shoulders and chest.

“Exactly. Like that. We’ll put our legs through here and ride down using the rope.”

“What?!”

Jiwoo was shocked and shook her head.

“This is impossible! Whether it’s putting our legs through or our heads through, how can we ride down using a rope like this?!”

“It can be done. When we put our legs through and hang on, I’ll hold on and lower you slowly until you touch the ground.”

Junseong calmly explained, taking out a bundle of gloves, which were industrial gloves coated with red rubber to prevent slipping. As he had done it several times in his dreams, he distributed one glove to each of them to keep their hands from slipping due to the rope. Then he looked at his younger brother, the person he trusted most and who trusted him the most.