Red Dot - 95

It took only one hour to reach Inhan Hospital after the rain stopped.

However, the journey was not smooth.

Even though they were moving along the safest route with fewer zombies based on Junseong’s memory, dangerous situations still occurred occasionally.

This was not due to inevitable risks, but because Jian and Gyeong-oh, who were deep in thought with dark expressions, reacted slowly.

Especially Jian would have been bitten by a zombie and bleeding by now if it weren’t for the arm guard she was wearing securely.

“I’m sorry, oppa.”

“I-I’m sorry too.”

Gyeong-oh also apologized in a dejected voice, following Jian who had her head bowed low.

Junseong couldn’t bring himself to scold them harshly.

He knew how complicated and gloomy their minds must be right now, so he should be grateful that they weren’t panicking and crying.

“It’s okay. But from here on, we need to be alert, so everyone focus.”

They were currently at the entrance of Inhan Hospital’s emergency medical center, in the outdoor parking lot reserved for ambulances.

Junseong’s group, crouched in a line between two parked ambulances, planned to enter the hospital through the emergency medical center entrance.

Previously, they had entered through the emergency stairway from the third basement parking level.

Unlike before when they headed to the underground parking because it was the only open emergency exit and they had a car, this time they had sufficient reason to penetrate from the ground level.

The recent heavy rain had caused quite a commotion.

The zombies surrounding Inhan Hospital had wandered around due to the fierce rain sounds, triggering alarms on several vehicles in the main entrance’s outdoor parking lot.

As a result, many zombies had rushed towards that area.

Coincidentally, one of the vehicles that set off an alarm was close to the emergency medical center entrance.

Thanks to this, most of the zombies wandering near the emergency center entrance had moved to that parking lot, and they were still lingering there even after both the rain and alarms had stopped.

Junseong, who had witnessed such a situation in one of the cycles where he survived past day 6, had deliberately unlocked the emergency stairway entrance connected to the first floor of the emergency medical center when he left Inhan Hospital with Hanseo.

Junseong alternated between checking the time on his wristwatch and the emergency medical center entrance.

Now, due to the power outage, a few zombies could be seen wandering inside beyond the stopped transparent automatic doors.

“It will rain again in 2 minutes. It will pour quite heavily, so let’s wait for a moment and then run straight to the entrance a few seconds later.”

Changmin, who was right behind Junseong at the front, asked with a tense expression.

“The doors are transparent and there seem to be quite a few zombies near the entrance. Won’t they notice us and gather more at the entrance?”

“It’s not very visible from here, but there’s a damaged swinging door next to the glass wall facing the parking lot direction. When it starts pouring, the zombies in the regular parking lot will cause another commotion, and they’ll follow the alarms towards the damaged door closest to the parking lot. Even the zombies near the entrance we’re trying to use will go there.”

In that dream, he had also entered the emergency medical center interior at that timing, feeling incredibly lucky.

Not all zombies inside would move, but it allowed them to pass through the entrance smoothly.

Changmin hesitated for a moment after hearing Junseong’s words, then his expression softened bitterly.

“To remember even such details, you’re really amazing.”

“I told you. The things I experienced in the dreams are vivid to an unusual degree.”

To the point where it felt more real than reality.

Junseong tapped his head with his index finger.

“I didn’t think much of it until now, but I’m grateful for these vivid and accurate memories. Without them, we wouldn’t have survived until now.”

And that’s not all.

He might not have been able to save anyone or meet anyone.

Changmin, who had been looking into Junseong’s eyes, lowered his gaze to the wet ground.

“In all the cycles of that dream you remember, the Inhan City lockdown was never breached, right?”

A dark expression briefly crossed Changmin’s face, who had been pretending to be fine without saying anything until now.

Junseong could only nod his head heavily.

Although he hadn’t directly confirmed it, in all the dreams, Inhan City being isolated under lockdown was almost a basic premise.

Watching Junseong nod, Changmin clenched both his fists tightly.

A murderous intent towards someone flashed in his downcast eyes.

“…I see.”

Junseong had a feeling he knew who that murderous intent was directed at.

‘That bastard deserves to be hated.’

Even while thinking that, his feelings became complicated.

If Changmin were to learn the full truth of the incident, whose eyes would that murderous gaze be directed at?

The variable that opened a path for zombies to leave Inhan City?

The director who dragged the corpse carrying the zombie virus out of the laboratory?

Or… Do Hanseo himself, the very source of the zombie virus?

‘Useless thoughts…’

Changmin will never know the full truth of the zombie outbreak anyway.

He won’t let that happen.

Even if they are trustworthy companions who have entered his inner circle, he won’t give them a chance to look at Do Hanseo with accusing eyes.

He will divert all blame onto ‘others’ besides Do Hanseo by his own hands.

‘How selfish can I be?’

He started to feel like he was becoming an irredeemably vile person.

It felt like he was engaging in the kind of ‘politicking’ commonly seen in MMORPG games filled with competition and PVP.

As he was lightly self-deprecating, the sound of rain started again with heavy drops.

There was a bit of a struggle, but they managed to enter the first floor emergency stairway inside the emergency medical center as planned.

Even though the number of zombies near the entrance had decreased as they moved in other directions, there were still many remaining inside, so everyone followed instructions while remaining highly alert.

As a result, they only had to fight seven zombies on the way to the emergency stairs, with no need for dangerous battles otherwise.

They did see a horde of zombies rushing towards them just before closing the emergency stairway door, but it was impossible for them to open the sturdy door that had been locked.

The group entered the dark emergency stairway with relieved faces and began climbing to the 7th floor, lighting the way with flashlights.

Jian and Gyeong-oh, who had the least stamina, gradually slowed down, but since the emergency stairway and floors above the 5th were essentially safe zones, they maintained their formation and climbed slowly without hurry.

Junseong hesitated for a moment as he was about to open the door on the 7th floor.

“What’s wrong?”

Changmin, who was right behind, keenly noticed the change in Junseong’s demeanor.

He looked down at where Junseong’s flashlight and gaze were focused.

“A cigarette butt?”

There was a cigarette butt in front of the 7th floor door.

It was quite short, as if someone had leisurely smoked it almost to the filter before discarding it.

“Someone has been here.”

There was tension in Junseong’s voice.

It was a cigarette butt he had never seen before.

Since he hadn’t seen this trace even when he revisited this place in his dreams, he immediately understood what it meant.

Nam Ki-hyuk or his subordinates had been here.

He searched his memories.

Yesterday, when leaving the department store with Do Hanseo, he had seen the rescue helicopter that Nam Ki-hyuk was likely riding move.

Judging by its direction towards the director’s house in reverse, its approximate departure point was in the direction of this hospital.

‘Did they stop here first before going to capture the director? Why?’

Along with the question, a plausible answer came to mind.

The place he had stayed the most around day 5 in his dreams was Inhan Hospital.

Even in the cycles where he deeply depended on Nam Ki-hyuk without knowing his true nature, he had stayed at this hospital around day 5.

Was that why they had stopped by?

‘Thinking I might be here?’

A chill ran down his spine.

The thought that he might have encountered Nam Ki-hyuk here made his heart sink.

He felt an illusion of a cold wind brushing against his bare neck.

Changmin supported Junseong from behind as he momentarily staggered.

“Junseong, are you al-!”

“Move aside.”

Hanseo, who was suddenly at the very back of the line, was glaring with wide eyes.

He grabbed Changmin’s shoulder, pushing him aside, and supported Junseong’s shoulders and back instead.

“Should I go check?”

Hanseo asked, placing the back of his hand on Junseong’s cold cheek.

Junseong, coming to his senses at Hanseo’s voice, rubbed his forehead with one hand and then asked Changmin.

“Hyung, can you check if there’s a helicopter on the roof?”

“Got it.”

Changmin nodded immediately and quickly climbed the stairs two steps at a time.

In the blink of an eye, he reached the rooftop door and opened it silently, suppressing any noise as much as possible.

After a short while, Changmin came down to the 7th floor emergency stairway, shaking his head.

“No helicopter, not even a soul up there.”

If Changmin, who knew how to move stealthily and was extremely cautious, said that, then there really was no one there.

There could be people hiding inside the building, but considering Nam Ki-hyuk’s personality and how he had left no one at the blood bank, the probability was 0%.

Junseong grabbed the handle of the 7th floor door, his face showing slight relief as he exhaled deeply.

“I’m opening the door.”

Although his mind was certain that no one would be there, the tension didn’t completely disappear.

The fact that Nam Ki-hyuk had been here was ominous enough.

The door opened smoothly, and as expected, there was no sign of anyone inside.

Instead, things were scattered here and there, clearly showing that someone had rummaged through the place.

The doors to each hospital room were wide open as well.

Walking while scanning the surroundings with tense eyes, Junseong spoke softly to Hanseo who was following closely behind.

“Let me know if you notice anything different compared to when we left.”

“Okay.”

Only he and Hanseo knew the original state of this place.

If Nam Ki-hyuk had come here and done something, only the two of them would be able to tell, so he was asking Hanseo to observe carefully.

Less than a minute after saying that, Hanseo grabbed Junseong’s shoulder to stop him.

“Over there.”

Following Hanseo’s gaze, there was indeed something different.

A small gift box with a ribbon on the counter in front of the nurses’ station – he had never seen such a thing, even in his dreams.