It was nearly midnight. We walked briskly through the streets of night where winter's cold pierced to the bone. The sounds of people groaning in pain and the lead motorcycles slowly advancing echoed through the quiet streets.
With flashlights and electric lanterns lighting our way as we escaped the city, we looked like defeated soldiers.
"My arm... Wouldn't it be better to amputate it?"
So companion's wife gritted her teeth as she looked at her arm, injured in the explosion's aftermath, while another companion tightly clutched what seed like family keepsakes, sighing deeply.
I quietly observed my companions.
'The situation isn't good.'
It was good that with fewer people, we could survive longer on our remaining food, but since they had died aninglessly in the failed raid, my position as leader was shaky.
If combat personnel had died, I could at least threaten the others with force, but since it was the families of combat personnel who had died, their resentnt might be directed at . After all, I was responsible for this raiding operation.
It was a situation ripe for rebellion. I briefly fell into thought as I pushed the combat cart with the machine gun mounted on it.
'I could probably kill them all with a surprise attack from the machine gun.'
If I used the overwhelming firepower of the machine gun...
But I moved my finger away from the trigger as I looked at certain people.
My criminal companions and the thug rcenary stood behind , almost surrounding . Even if I sprayed bullets at everyone in front, they would kill if they attacked from behind.
Moreover, they weren't loyal to , and they were severely stressed from the arson. If given a reason, they might direct that stress toward with explosive results.
It felt like walking on a knife's edge. I laughed inwardly.
'I survived thanks to the alliance people, including the police, avoiding confrontation.'
I'd thought there was a high probability of death, but I returned safely. The fun of playing with fire was already in the past; it was ti to focus on the present again.
My marauder organization that could erupt at any mont, potential rebels who might turn their guns on , new situations awaiting us outside the city.
Just then, Jeon Do-hyung, who was standing behind , spoke in a parched voice.
"So. What did we gain?"
Is Jeon Do-hyung the first to express dissatisfaction? Is the rebellion starting now? Though Jeon Do-hyung was the one speaking, it seed like all my companions were listening to .
I answered in a heavily sunken voice.
"A chance to escape safely."
"Is that really all? If we just wanted to escape without interference, we could have started fires and run away. There was no reason for people to die and get hurt in an attack."
It was a logical argunt that was hard to refute. Anything I said now would sound like an excuse. Because we had failed.
I didn't know the police would prioritize evacuation and set traps in the survival zone, you've been living well until now thanks to , the purpose was the fire and attack from the beginning—saying any of this would only infla the situation.
I spoke in a dry voice, completely devoid of emotion.
"You're right. People who didn't need to die have died. It's my fault, and it's my responsibility."
I would face it head-on. I had the machine gun. If necessary, I could spray bullets with the machine gun and die together. All I had to lose was my life, and life was worthless anyway.
"We need to live for those who died too. We need to support the surviving family mbers. So right now I want to focus on escaping the city, but you might feel that's not enough. What do you want?"
If they wanted my life, we could all die together. I subtly hooked my finger on the trigger.
Just then, Sa Gi-hyeok cut in with a gloomy voice.
"We shouldn't fight among ourselves. Internal strife at a ti like this will only cause more damage. Since the gamble failed, we should at least preserve what money we have left and escape."
At those words, others began to join in, stopping Jeon Do-hyung.
"How could anyone have known the alliance, those lunatics, would set up IEDs in their main base?"
"Let's focus on escaping first. Can't you see the flas behind us?"
I looked at my companions with confusion. They're holding back? I couldn't understand their psychology.
'What's going on? This is the perfect mont for resistance.'
Were they planning to confront after escaping the city? Or were they still in shock? Or perhaps they simply accepted it because death was so common?
Either way, it didn't seem to be the ti for rebellion.
I lowered my finger from the trigger and suddenly looked at Jeon Do-hyung.
Jeon Do-hyung had slightly bowed his head and looked at my finger, then slowly raised his head, smiled at . His eyes curved strangely as if grinning, and he let out a hollow laugh.
"Haha. So that's the kind of person you are."
"What?"
"Nothing. Now isn't the ti for such talk. There's no need either."
Had he lost his mind? Sothing seed off about him. He looked almost unburdened, as if he'd put down a heavy load, or perhaps like soone who had gained enlightennt and steeled his resolve.
I narrowed my eyes warily at Jeon Do-hyung. There was no opponent harder to deal with than a madman.
Just to be safe, I checked my other criminal companions, and they too seed strange. Park Yang-gun occasionally looked back to check the flickering flas in the distance, and Sa Gi-hyeok was lost in thought, folding and unfolding his fingers.
The expressions of so companions who had lost family mbers were also concerning.
'There might be a rebellion, or at least a division.'
That would be interesting too. I smiled and pushed the cart.
***
We had moved too much in one day. Soon, people's stamina reached its limit, and we decided to rest until morning in a nearby villa building.
"I've opened all the doors. Go in as you please."
As Park Yang-gun spoke, my companions dragged their tired bodies toward the villa entrance.
Jeon Do-hyung, who stood behind them, took out cooking tools like camping equipnt and a kimchi container from his luggage and said:
"It's late, but would anyone like to eat? I'm thinking of making simple kimchi fried rice."
"I don't have much appetite... No, I should eat. We'll have to keep walking when we wake up."
Perhaps because we had barely eaten all day while on the move, people nodded one by one.
Jeon Do-hyung asked :
"Would you like to eat?"
"Yeah. Bring it to ."
I headed straight to the top floor of the villa and sat in the dusty living room. When I closed my eyes, various thoughts drifted through my mind.
'What should I do?'
Perhaps due to fatigue, my head wasn't working well. Only a few fragntary thoughts crossed my mind.
Many of my companions' family mbers had died, so food would be plentiful. Ammunition was scarce. Lacking firepower ant it would be difficult to continue living as a marauder.
There also seed to be companions who might rebel.
"Maybe I should just start over."
It might not be bad to kill all my companions and start again in another city. If I positioned myself well, I could attack with the machine gun, so there shouldn't be any problems.
How long had I spent like that, half-dozing with my eyes closed?
I heard soone approaching. The unlocked door opened with a clatter, and footsteps drew near. I imdiately pulled out my pistol and opened my eyes.
Jeon Do-hyung had found , holding a flashlight and a bowl of rice.
"Where are you?"
"Here."
The flashlight beam shone in my eyes. Jeon Do-hyung approached and placed the bowl on the table in the middle of the living room. I also took out my flashlight and brightly illuminated the bowl and Jeon Do-hyung.
"It's just a quick fried rice. Eat up."
"I'll eat it in a bit."
I wouldn't eat it. Who knew what poison he might have put in it? I planned to just pretend to eat and throw the rice sowhere in the house.
Jeon Do-hyung let out a laugh.
"You're not planning to eat it, are you?"
"I'll have to eat. Tomorrow will be busy."
I ran my flashlight over Jeon Do-hyung. Whatever hardship he'd endured while escaping, the rider suit he'd stolen was stained with blood and dirt.
"Are you hurt?"
"No. I did fight a zombie while escaping, but I wasn't injured."
After saying that, Jeon Do-hyung took out a water bottle from his pocket and drank. After gulping down the water, he quietly stared at . An ominous feeling swept over .
'Is this an assassination?'
I silently aid my pistol at Jeon Do-hyung, who smiled faintly and spoke in a light voice.
"Yeji is dead. Oh, don't you rember her na? My girlfriend at the Hope Community."
"Is that so?"
"I think I'm infected with the virus too. My mask ca off while I was running, and I had close contact with a zombie in that state."
So it was an assassination after all. Having nothing left to lose, he was finally acting according to his heart's desire.
I rolled my eyes to look at the water bottle in Jeon Do-hyung's hand.
"The virus?"
"Yes. It's one reason I was late returning to the eting point—this is water mixed with zombie saliva."
Jeon Do-hyung lightly shook the water bottle. Virus-infused water overflowed from the bottle, dripping down.
"Those who ate the fried rice will be infected too. I didn't feel confident I could kill you for sure, so I thought I should at least cut down your companions. What do you think? I learned it from you, didn't I?"
"If you learned from , that probably isn't the end of it."
I quietly looked at Jeon Do-hyung, and he laughed.
"Guess. What else did I do?"
Well, since he arrived at the eting point last, he had plenty of ti to do other things. I grinned and said:
"Did you pass information to the alliance?"
"Yes. I t alliance mbers who were fleeing and told them which route we'd take and where we were going. About killing the police in the early days, killing the pastor, everything."
We briefly looked at each other, then laughed together.
"Well done."
"It still doesn't feel like enough, but it can't be helped."
"No. It's enough."
He'd done quite well. He'd managed to corner in his own way. If I suddenly killed Jeon Do-hyung here, conflict within the marauder organization would inevitably erupt. It would look like I'd killed him just because he questioned what we'd gained from the attack.
I spoke jokingly:
"You're not thinking of giving up on the assassination? I was planning to give you batteries when you turn into a zombie and use you as a virus generator."
"I'll give up if you put away your gun first, how about that?"
If I lowered my gun, he'd imdiately lunge at , tear off my mask, and splash with water. We both chuckled.
The end was approaching. Jeon Do-hyung would die by my hand, and I would have to abandon the marauder organization without preparation. Perhaps I would be infected with the virus too.
In an instant, after a brief silence, we moved simultaneously. I pulled the trigger, and Jeon Do-hyung swung the water bottle, splashing water at .
Bang, bang, bang—bullets fired in succession hit Jeon Do-hyung's arms and legs. He reached out to remove my mask but collapsed forward. His fingertips barely grazed my mask.
Jeon Do-hyung barely managed to lift his head to look at and lanted:
"I should have killed you a long ti ago. I should still kill you now. I failed."
I stared blankly down at Jeon Do-hyung, then smiled.
"Congratulations. You succeeded."
Water seed to have entered my nose through the gaps between my loose mask and skin. I was probably infected with the virus. In three weeks, I would beco a zombie.
This was also an acceptable ending. After all, betrayal was essential for a marauder, wasn't it?
And traitors had to be executed.
Click—just as I aid the pistol at Jeon Do-hyung's head.
Clatter—the door opened, and Sa Gi-hyeok and Park Yang-gun's shouts were heard.
"What's happening? Did you commit suicide? No, just because you failed once..."
"Did a thief break in?"
The beam of a flashlight cut across the dark room. They saw aiming my gun at Jeon Do-hyung's head and their words trailed off, and I pulled the trigger anyway.
With only three weeks of life left, there was no need to worry about organization or companions anymore.
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