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It was almost midnight. We walked diligently through the cold winter night, the chill seeping into our bones. The sound of groans in pain and the slow advance of a motorcycle ahead echoed through the silent streets.

We, who were trying to escape the city with flashlights and electric lanterns, looked like defeated soldiers.

“Shouldn’t we just amputate this arm?”

One companion’s wife gritted her teeth as she looked at her arm, injured in the explosion, while another sighed, clutching what seemed to be a family heirloom.

I quietly observed my companions.

‘The situation isn’t good.’

The fact that our numbers have decreased means we can last longer with the remaining food, but since the pillaging failed and people died meaninglessly, my position as leader is shaky.

If it were combat personnel who died, I could at least threaten with force, but since it was their families who died, the blame could easily turn to me. After all, I’m responsible for this failed pillaging operation.

It’s a situation ripe for rebellion. I pushed the combat cart equipped with a machine gun and pondered for a moment.

‘If I ambush them with the machine gun, I could probably kill them all.’

With the overwhelming firepower of the machine gun…

But I hesitated as I looked at a few people and moved my finger away from the trigger.

Behind me stood criminal companions and deceptive mercenaries. They were in a near-encirclement position. Even if I poured bullets into the front, if they attacked me from behind, I’d be dead.

Moreover, they weren’t loyal to me and were severely stressed from the arson. If something triggered them, they might explode that stress onto me.

It felt like walking on a knife’s edge. I laughed inwardly.

‘Thanks to the police and the alliance avoiding a fight, we made it back alive.’

I thought the chances of dying were high, but we returned safely. The joy of the fireworks was already in the past, so it was time to focus on the present again.

My pillager organization, which could collapse at any moment, the rebels who might turn their guns on me, and the new situation awaiting us outside the city.

As I thought this, Jeondohyeong, standing behind me, spoke in a dry voice.

“So. What did we gain?”

Is Jeondohyeong the first to express dissatisfaction? Is the rebellion starting now? Although it was Jeondohyeong who spoke, it seemed like all the companions were listening to me.

I answered in a heavy voice.

“A chance to escape safely.”

“Is that all? If we just wanted to escape without interference, we could have set a fire and run. There was no need to raid and cause deaths and injuries.”

It’s hard to refute such a valid argument. Anything I say now would just sound like an excuse. We failed.

I didn’t expect the police to prioritize evacuation and set traps in the survivor zone. You should at least be grateful that we’ve survived this long because of me. The fire and attack were the goals from the start. Saying these things would only provoke anger.

I spoke in a dry voice, devoid of emotion.

“You’re right. People who didn’t need to die, died. It’s my fault, my responsibility.”

I’ll face it head-on. I have a machine gun. If things go south, I’ll just spray bullets and die with them. The only thing to lose is my life, and life is worthless anyway.

“We have to live for the dead. We have to support the surviving families too. So, for now, I’m focused on escaping the city, but you might feel it’s not enough. What do you want?”

If you want my life, let’s all die together. I subtly placed my finger on the trigger.

Then, Sajihyeok interjected in a somber voice.

“We can’t fight among ourselves. Internal conflict in this situation will only bring losses. We failed in our gamble, so we should at least preserve what’s left and escape.”

At his words, others joined in, dissuading Jeondohyeong.

“How could we have known the alliance, those lunatics, would plant IEDs at our base?”

“Let’s focus on escaping first. Don’t you see the flames behind us?”

I looked at my companions in confusion. They’re holding back now? I don’t understand their psychology.

‘What’s going on? Isn’t this the time to rebel?’

Are they planning to settle things after escaping the city? Or are they still in shock? Or have they just accepted death as commonplace?

Anyway, it doesn’t seem like the right time for a rebellion.

I lowered my finger from the trigger and suddenly looked at Jeondohyeong.

Jeondohyeong slightly bowed his head, looked at my finger, then slowly raised his head and smiled at me. His eyes curved strangely as if grinning, and he let out a hollow laugh.

“Haha. That’s the kind of person you are.”

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s not the time for this now. There’s no need.”

Has he lost his mind? His condition seems off. It’s as if he’s let go of a burden, or perhaps he’s gained some enlightenment and made a resolution.

I narrowed my eyes and kept my guard up against Jeondohyeong. There’s no enemy harder to deal with than a madman.

Just in case, I glanced at the other criminal companions, and they also seemed off. Park Yang-gun occasionally looked back to check the flickering flames in the distance, and Sajihyeok was deep in thought, flexing his fingers.

The expressions of some companions who had lost their families were also unusual.

‘A rebellion, or at least a split, seems likely.’

That would be fun too. I smiled and pushed the cart.

***

We had moved too much in a day. Soon, everyone’s stamina reached its limit, and we decided to rest in a nearby villa until morning.

“I’ve opened all the doors. Go in as you please.”

As Park Yang-gun spoke after opening all the villa’s doors, the companions dragged their tired bodies towards the entrance.

Jeondohyeong, standing behind, took out cooking utensils and a kimchi container from his luggage and said,

“It’s late, but anyone want to eat? I’m thinking of making some simple kimchi fried rice.”

“I don’t have an appetite… No, I should eat. We’ll have to keep walking when we wake up.”

Perhaps because we had barely eaten all day while moving, people nodded one by one.

Jeondohyeong asked me,

“Do you want to eat?”

“Yeah. Bring it to me.”

I headed straight to the top floor of the villa and sat in the dusty living room. Closing my eyes, various thoughts flowed through my mind.

‘What should I do?’

Perhaps because I was tired, my mind wasn’t working well. Only a few fragmented thoughts came to me.

Many of the companions’ families had died, so we had plenty of food. But ammunition was scarce. With insufficient firepower, it would be hard to survive as pillagers.

And there were companions who seemed ready to rebel.

“Maybe I should start over.”

Killing all the companions and starting anew in another city didn’t seem like a bad idea. If I positioned myself well, I could ambush with the machine gun, so it wouldn’t be a problem.

As I dozed off with my eyes closed, I heard a noise. The unlocked door creaked open, and footsteps approached. I immediately drew my pistol and opened my eyes.

Jeondohyeong, holding a flashlight and a bowl of food, had found me.

“Where are you?”

“Here.”

The flashlight’s light shone in my eyes. Jeondohyeong approached and placed the bowl on the table in the living room. I also turned on my flashlight, illuminating the bowl and Jeondohyeong.

“It’s some hastily made fried rice. Eat.”

“I’ll eat later.”

I wasn’t going to eat it. Who knows if he poisoned it? I planned to pretend to eat and just dump the rice somewhere.

Jeondohyeong chuckled.

“You’re not planning to eat, are you?”

“I’ll eat. We’ll be busy tomorrow.”

I scanned Jeondohyeong with the flashlight. He must have had a hard time escaping, as his rider suit, which he had stolen to wear, was stained with blood and dirt.

“Are you hurt?”

“No. I fought some zombies while escaping, but I’m not injured.”

As he said this, Jeondohyeong took out a water bottle from his pocket and drank. After gulping down the water, he stared at me silently. A foreboding feeling crept in.

‘Is this an assassination attempt?’

I silently aimed my pistol at Jeondohyeong, and he chuckled, speaking in a light voice.

“Yeji died. Oh, do you remember her name? My girlfriend from the Hope Community.”

“Is that so?”

“I think I’m infected with the virus. My mask came off while escaping, and I was in close contact with a zombie.”

So, it is an assassination. With nothing left to lose, he’s acting on his impulses.

I rolled my eyes to look at the water bottle in Jeondohyeong’s hand.

“The virus?”

“Yes. One of the reasons we were late returning to the gathering point is that this water is mixed with zombie saliva.”

Jeondohyeong lightly shook the water bottle. The virus-laced water spilled out, dripping onto the floor.

“Those who ate the fried rice are probably infected too. I wasn’t confident I could kill you outright, so I thought I’d at least cut off your companions. How about it? I learned from you.”

“If you learned from me, that’s not the end, is it?”

I quietly looked at Jeondohyeong, and he chuckled.

“Guess. What else did I do?”

Hmm. Since he arrived at the gathering point last, he had plenty of time to do other things. I grinned and said,

“Did you leak information to the alliance?”

“Yes. I told them which route we’d take and where we’d go. I met some alliance members while escaping and told them everything. Killing the police early on, killing the pastor, all of it.”

We locked eyes for a moment, then laughed together.

“Well done.”

“It still feels insufficient, but what can I do?”

“No. It’s enough.”

He did quite well. He managed to corner me. If I suddenly kill Jeondohyeong now, it will inevitably cause conflict within the pillager organization. It would look like I killed him just for questioning what we gained from the raid.

I joked,

“Any thoughts of giving up on the assassination? If you turn into a zombie, I’ll give you a battery and use you as a virus generator.”

“Then put the gun away first.”

If I put the gun away, he’ll probably rush at me, rip off my mask, and splash the water. We both chuckled.

The end is near. Jeondohyeong will die by my hand, and I’ll have to abandon the pillager organization unprepared. Maybe I’m already infected with the virus.

In an instant, after a moment of silence, we both moved. I pulled the trigger, and Jeondohyeong swung the water bottle, splashing water at me.

Bang, bang, bang—the bullets hit Jeondohyeong’s arm and leg, and he reached out to rip off my mask but collapsed forward instead. His fingertips barely grazed my mask.

Jeondohyeong barely lifted his head and lamented,

“I should have killed you earlier. I should kill you now. I failed.”

I looked down at Jeondohyeong and laughed.

“Congratulations. You succeeded.”

The loose mask and the water that seeped through the gaps likely entered my nose. I’m probably infected with the virus. In three weeks, I’ll become a zombie.

This is also a decent ending. After all, betrayal is a must for a pillager.

And betrayers must be executed.

Click—the moment I aimed the pistol at Jeondohyeong’s head.

Creak—the door opened, and Sajihyeok and Park Yang-gun’s voices rang out.

“What’s going on? Did you try to kill yourself? No, just because we failed once…”

“Did a thief break in?”

The flashlight’s light flew across the dark room. They saw me aiming the pistol at Jeondohyeong’s head and trailed off. I pulled the trigger.

After all, I only have three weeks left. The organization, the companions—none of it matters anymore.

 

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