Red Dot - 15

– Episode 15 –

Kyaah!

A zombie, with its mouth torn open as if deliberately, roared, fully exposing its teeth. Junseong mercilessly struck the machete down on the horrifying, mangled-faced zombie, which could easily elicit screams from Jiwoo.

Crack!

The machete, forcefully brought down, plunged about an inch into the zombie’s forehead. It might not have gone too deep, but that was enough to cause some damage to its brain.

Junseong kicked the twitching zombie to the ground, pulled out the machete, and swiftly swung his arm towards the shadow that suddenly emerged from the side alley.

Kehek!

The machete pierced the second zombie’s forehead. With a pause, like a buffering video, the zombie twitched and fell to the side. Quickly turning around, Junseong anticipated another zombie, rushing towards Soyeon and Hanseo, who were now at the back of the group.

Kraah!

“Kyaaak!”

Even if one was on high alert and tense, it was hard not to be startled when faced with a suddenly appearing, bloodied zombie. Soyeon froze, not even thinking about swinging the broom. It was a moment, as in the dream, when Chaeyi was about to strike with a hammer to save Soyeon.

Thunk!

With a sound cutting through the air, a powerful impact echoed as Hanseo, with a nonchalant expression, swung a bat at the zombie’s head, sending it sprawling.

Junseong, looking at Hanseo who casually dealt with the zombie’s head, felt a strange sensation as if his legs were freezing. The flowing blood felt chillingly cold.

“Oppa, are you okay?”

Where Chae-i had been anxiously scanning the surroundings, Chaeyi shook Junseong, who had suddenly frozen.

“Uh, yeah. I’m okay.”

Thanks to Chaeyi snapping him out of it, Junseong regained his senses and rushed forward again. Even then, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that his entire body hair was standing on end.

Cold eyes filled with sarcasm.

An exhilarating smile.

Junseong thought that even Hanseo would never be relaxed, facing this grim reality. Sweat formed on his forehead, tension and anxiety swirled in his eyes, and the smile disappeared from his lips. That was natural.

But as Junseong looked at Hanseo swinging at zombies, he had a gut feeling that his initial thoughts were wrong.

In this life-and-death situation, facing the reality of becoming zombie prey, Junseong thought Hanseo, like the man in his dreams, would never be at ease. He felt an eerie familiarity, reminiscent of the worst companion he never wanted to meet again even in his dreams.

‘No.’

While putting strength into his running legs, Junseong internally denied his thoughts.

‘He’s different. He’s not like that person.’

Junseong forcibly erased the shadow of the murderer he had met in his dreams. Even if it was just a dream, the person had left a clear trauma for him. He made a route to avoid meeting him again, even in dreams. Even if it was a dream, that man was not present here. Even if he faced a life-or-death situation, Junseong didn’t think Hanseo would be as uneasy as that person. The sensation of freezing legs was just a momentary illusion.

Euh-!

Khek, Crack!

Junseong took the lead, knocking down zombies they encountered at regular intervals. The group marveled at Junseong’s audacity and how he fearlessly confronted and dispatched the zombies. Not only did he deal with the zombies in front, but he also swiftly eliminated or directed attacks from the zombies targeting the rear of the group.

Since they already knew from which direction zombies were targeting and rushing toward them, it was possible. Even if the dream restarted and the route changed each time, Junseong consistently chose the same path until they entered the subway. It was the only way to save his sister and her friends.

‘Next, from the back of the formation…’

Junseong, who swung the machete after forcefully pushing a zombie with his shoulder, didn’t even look at the stumbling zombie. He kicked it while turning around, not paying attention.

“Soyeon…!”

In the dream, it would have been Soyeon, once again at the back, facing an attack.

However, this time, it was Dohanseo at the back of the formation. A zombie, its chin partially missing, appeared behind him. Due to the mistimed shout, the zombie had already approached Hanseo’s left shoulder, and it seemed like it would lunge at him.

In the moment when Junseong was about to warn Hanseo, not Soyeon,

Instead of biting Hanseo, the zombie moved to his side, seemingly preparing to attack Soyeon.

At that moment, Hanseo swung the bat fiercely, hitting the zombie’s forehead. It struck with such force that the forehead caved in. The zombie, which had fallen backward, showed no signs of getting up.

‘Just now, what was that?’

Looking at Hanseo, who nonchalantly brushed the blood splattered on his shoulder with the back of his hand, Junseong felt a strong sense of discomfort.

‘To flow exactly like the dream… That’s an unreasonable expectation. Is it just a coincidence?’

In the dream, Soyeon should have been attacked. However, she was the closest human in the line of sight of the zombie rushing from behind. If Hanseo had stood at the back, the zombie would naturally have targeted and chased him. So why did it aim for Soyeon, who was in front of him?

‘I must have seen it wrong.’

He had encountered many people in the dreams he had experienced over the past two months, and none of them could avoid a zombie attack. Hanseo wouldn’t be an exception. He thought he had just misinterpreted who the zombie was targeting. Without a chance to confirm, Hanseo had already dealt with the zombie.

There was no time to ponder. Junseong and the group had already reached the entrance of the subway.

Junseong glanced back again. Zombies that had spread nearby were running towards them.

“Don’t stop! Keep running!”

Junseong took the lead and increased the pace.

Zombies screamed as they climbed up from below the stairs. There was also a zombie crawling up the stopped escalator.

Though there were only five, as they were coming up one by one, Junseong calmly knocked them down one by one as he rushed forward. Right behind him, Chaeyi assisted by wielding a hammer, Jiwoo swung a wrench with a distressed expression, and Jisoo swung a spanner with a determined look.

In the original scenario, Soyeon, who had the least killing power with a broom, should have been brought forward by now to protect her. However, right behind her was Hanseo, who smilingly swung a machete to decapitate a zombie.

Junseong felt a bit scared, but having Hanseo there made him feel somewhat secure, despite the fear.

Having jumped down all the stairs, Junseong tensely looked back. Zombies were rushing towards them, overwhelming in numbers. It looked like more than twenty. Even though he had seen a similar scene in his dream, facing it directly in reality brought an inevitable fear.

Doubts crept into his mind.

‘What if what I saw in the dream was different?’

‘What if nothing happens during that time?’

‘Even though I met someone in the dream who I hadn’t seen before, is there any guarantee that no more variables will emerge?’

Harsh suspicions and distrust that raged through his mind paralyzed Junseong’s legs for a brief moment. During this short time of deviation, a zombie pushed by Chaeyi was thrust in front of Junseong.

“Oppa!”

Thanks to Chaeyi grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back, Junseong could see the zombie’s teeth just barely missing his face. If he had been a little slower, he would have been bitten.

At the moment when the zombie was about to close its mouth again with a groaning sound,

A sound resembling the whizzing of an arrow brushed against their eardrums. Simultaneously, a few droplets of thick blood splattered on Junseong’s face.

Thunk!

The zombie, paying no attention to its mouth tearing open, with its mouth wide open, was pierced through by a rod that flew from behind. If it had hit around its forehead, it might not have been able to crush the skull. Fortunately, the rod lodged itself right into the wide-open mouth.

Due to the shock of the rod getting stuck, Jiwoo’s wrench forcefully struck the zombie’s forehead, which was initially staggering due to the impact.

The zombie, unable to make any sound properly due to its pierced mouth, fell backward.

“Hyung, are you okay?!”

Never had Junseong imagined that he would be saved by Jiwoo, who had thrown the rod from the back.

But in the midst of this, Junseong had no time for admiration or surprise.

Seeing Hanseo, who had thrown the rod to save them from the back, Junseong, with his face spattered with blood, started running again.

‘Okay. I can do this. I have to make it through.’

Whispering to himself repeatedly as if brainwashed, Junseong, with a more determined expression, increased his speed.

The group eventually reached the turnstile. Zombies that had been wandering nearby began to gather and rush towards them with roars.