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I looked at the photo again.

A photo of a zombie, which was once a virus generator, shoving plastic trash and wads of tissue into people’s mouths. It seemed like it was returning the torture it had endured.

‘It feels like revenge for the kids who used to play pranks by putting trash in my mouth when I was tied up.’

Somehow, it reminded me of the time I locked up and killed the snitch next door. This zombie felt familiar. If you’ve been wronged, you should take revenge. It must have learned well during its captivity.

As I was curiously examining the photo, the kid’s mom suddenly snatched the phone from me. After checking the messages and photos, her eyes widened, and her hands trembled.

“This… this zombie.”

“Learning…”

The uncle also approached and looked at the photo, frowning. A zombie that had learned the ways of Villa Street was still alive out there, and it seemed to be causing concern.

I also tapped my knee with my finger, lost in thought. The chilling fear still lingered like an aftertaste.

‘Dangerous. This is dangerous.’

A zombie that has learned a lot about human life. If other zombies see and learn from its actions, and if this learning continues…

But is this really something to worry about and solve urgently? Just like people who couldn’t adapt to the apocalypse died, zombies with insufficient learning would die first.

For example, zombies that don’t know the shopping district is a food warehouse, zombies that don’t know how to eat packaged food, zombies that haven’t learned skilled combat—they’ve probably already died.

In the end, only zombies that have learned to the level of a virus generator will survive and become elite.

‘This isn’t a problem that can be solved by killing that one zombie. It’s just the inevitable future.’

Tap, my finger stopped. I blankly looked back and forth between the uncle and the kid’s mom.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

“…There’s nothing we can do anyway.”

The uncle sighed heavily, and the kid’s mom suddenly glared at me. Her frustration and anger, with nowhere else to go, were directed at me.

“This zombie, because of you. The zombie you raised—”

“It was the kids who were feeding it trash.”

If you really think about it, wasn’t it the kids’ fault? Why did they try to put trash in its mouth as a prank?

For a moment, the kid’s mom looked like she was about to lose it, so I reached for a sedative. A hammer. One good hit to the head, and all that anger and frustration would disappear. Plus, I’d get the resources that person left behind.

A brief silence fell. I held the hammer high, staring at the kid’s mom’s forehead, while she clenched her mouth shut and glared at me.

At that point, the uncle started waving his hands to intervene.

“Stop, stop. Fighting here won’t change the situation. Let’s calmly assess the situation first.”

“What more is there to assess? The school’s collapsed, zombies are roaming, and the kids are in mortal danger!”

Should I really administer the sedative with the hammer? She’s not calming down at all.

As I gauged the trajectory of the hammer, a thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I slowly opened my mouth.

“The kids aren’t that fragile. They’ve learned a lot while working, haven’t they?”

It’s an interesting dynamic. Kids who’ve learned survival skills on Villa Street. Zombies that have learned by watching street people. A bond formed through torment. Who will win? It might be a pretty even match.

I imagined their situation with curiosity, like watching a fire from across the river.

“Right. Calm down. They’re hiding in a safe place, right? They can hold out until the police or archers step in.”

“…Yeah.”

Just as the uncle and the kid’s mom were regaining their composure, an idea flashed in my mind.

Couldn’t I use this as an opportunity?

If people leave to rescue others, the base becomes relatively vulnerable. No, even then, the base is tough. What about the parents who leave the base to go to the school for the rescue operation?

Moreover, what if the zombies and the parents end up in a mutual defeat?

I quickly got up. I needed time to think. I had to calmly calculate the risks and benefits. It was time to consider the appropriate actions.

“I have nothing more to say, so I’ll be going. I still have farming to do.”

But as always, the situation didn’t go as I had planned.

The kid’s mom’s phone suddenly rang, and a video call connected. Before she could urgently speak, the kids’ voices came through.

– Mom, we’re escaping now.

“Now?”

The uncle and I quietly moved beside the kid’s mom to look at the screen. It was a video call, so the scene was vivid.

High school students or surviving teachers had torn down curtains and tied clothes to make ropes.

– Yeah. The adults will cover us at the school’s main gate, so we’re coming out first.

Just as the kid was speaking gravely, something was thrown, and the screen turned.

Beyond the barricades on the windows and doors, the face of the virus generator appeared. It threw trash through the welded and nailed legs of chairs and desks.

The kid’s annoyed voice was heard.

– Get lost, you jerk!

– Ugh!

– You want to be a cross? You’re asking to be turned into a cross!

The kid also picked up trash and threw it back. They were having a trash-throwing fight for a while.

The kid’s mom snapped back to reality.

“You’re coming out now? The adults aren’t going in?”

– Ah, yeah. They said it’s hard to get in, I’m not sure.

I roughly understood the situation. The police or archery club had moved quickly. They were people with guns or bows as weapons. It seemed they were planning to secure the main gate and shoot rather than risk an ambush indoors.

It was a shame.

‘It was a chance to loot. They’ve already moved.’

I secretly sighed lightly. I missed the chance to intervene.

Contrary to my disappointment, the kid’s mom was both happy and worried.

“Did the adults go? Have they reached the school?”

– Yeah. They’re there.

The phone turned back to the window. Several people had gathered at the main gate at the far end of the playground, and they seemed well-prepared. They had almost closed the iron gate, leaving only a gap for people to escape, and were aiming their weapons.

It looked like they were only planning to rescue people.

‘Are they giving up on the resources stored at the school? They should grab them before the zombies eat everything.’

Well, it’s not like the organization is that desperate for food. Fighting zombies recklessly could lead to even a small wound, which would be life-threatening. If they got a secondary infection, treatment would be difficult anyway.

If they’re going to give up on the food…

I suddenly leaned into the camera.

“Can you contact the people there? The teacher standing at the back. Can you hear me?”

– Huh? Oh, yes.

The teacher, who had been busy with his hands, looked up. I spoke to the teacher.

“Since you’re there, can you tell them to block the back gate and the main gate tightly?”

– I can do that, but why…

“To trap them and let them starve to death.”

There’s barbed wire on the walls. The main gate and the back gate. If you block those two, the zombies can’t get out. Of course, the zombies might break through and escape, but it’s worth a try.

The teacher nodded blankly, tapped the phone, and then spoke.

– Yeah, they said they’ll lock it from the outside like handcuffs.

I smiled contentedly. The zombies learned from humans, and I learned from the zombies. Imprisonment. You don’t always have to fight with both hands. Just trapping them can make them starve.

And then, it was time for the school’s survivors to escape.

– I’m heading out! See you at home!

“Be careful!”

***

The video call continued.

The teacher went down first, keeping watch and holding a weapon, followed by the kids. The screen turned black for a moment, and rough sounds were heard, as if the phone had been put in a pocket.

The virus generator’s screeching also grew distant.

A few seconds later, a thud was heard, and the screen brightened again. The teacher hurriedly waved his hand toward the sky.

With his other hand, he gestured for the kid to go to the main gate first.

– I’ll go with you, bro.

– No, go ahead quickly. We don’t know when the zombies will come out.

– Bro, are you coming down?

The kid descending the rope came into view.

The kid’s mom bit her lip nervously. The uncle also stared intently at the screen, and I tilted my head.

‘Did it not learn enough? If it’s a virus generator, it would bring other zombies down with it, right?’

This isn’t the time to drag it out. The time it took for the kid to carefully descend the rope seemed to stretch endlessly. No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t seem like everyone would escape.

Thud, both kids from Villa Street reached the ground. They started running.

– Bro, let’s go!

– Run!

The screen shook violently. The sound of footsteps and heavy breathing followed. They safely reached the main gate, and a few more students who had escaped ran across the playground.

The kid finally adjusted the phone. His flushed skin was briefly visible.

– Mom, we escaped!

– I’m hungry. I want ramen.

“Okay, I’ll prepare ramen. Be careful following the adults—”

Then it happened.

The zombies’ cries erupted simultaneously. Screams were heard, and the sounds of police or archers fighting followed.

– No! We need backup—

– …We need to close the gate and go. If they all come, we’re in danger too.

– Your kid already escaped, so that’s why you’re saying that!

The screen wasn’t showing it, but it felt like a fierce argument.

At that moment, the kids quietly turned the phone. Zombies were wandering the street, approaching them. A small voice followed.

– Uncle.

– No, we need to run now! No, I’m getting out of here.

– Uncle, there’s a zombie.

As the kid poked him, the policeman turned around. He finally saw the zombies. Zombies were swarming toward the main gate, and street zombies were also converging on them.

Reflexively, the policeman fired his gun.

At the same time, the phone screen shook. The screen whizzed by, showing that they were running without looking back.

 

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